r-s"- 


Itheological  seminary,; 

S  Princeton,  N.  J.  c 


^    .  ^  T?«^w.  tl.^  17TIRT.TSHER 

BV  4565  .N6  1847 

Noel,  Baptist  Wriothesley, 

1798-1873. 
Infant  piety 

Bookf 


—  -% 


/ 


0. 


INFAIT  PIETY: 


BOOK  FOR  LITTLE  CHILDREN 


BY 

BAPTIST  W.   NOEL,  M.A. 


"  ShifTer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  me  and  forbid  tiiem  not  ;  for 

of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God."' 
"And  he  took  them  up  in  his  arms,  put  his  hands  upon  them,  and  blessed 

them."— Mark  x.  14,  Ki. 


NEW    YORK: 

ROBERT   CARTER,   58   CANAL    STREET 

AND  PITTSBURG,  56  MARKET  STREET. 

1847. 


CONTENTS 


I.  Some  Things  which  Little  Children  ought  to 

know ,5 

II.  Lives  of  Pious  Little  Children : 

1.  David  Brown 12 

2.  Louisa  Woodd  Mortlock  .  .24 

3.  Annie  T 32 

4.  James  Budge  Jones           ....  38 

5.  Little  Nannette      ....  41 

6.  Little  Elizabeth 49 

7.  Phoebe  Bartlett                       .      '  .     .    ,  62 

8.  Jolm  Mooney  Mead           ....  66 

9.  Margaret  Walton           ...  78 
10.  Mary  Lothrop            .         .         ,         .         ,  87 

III.  Some  Things  which  Little  Children  ought  to  do  98 


INFANT    PIETY 


SOME  THINGS  WHICH  LITTLE  CHILDREN 
OUGHT  TO  KNOW. 

When  you  get  up,  my  dear  children,  after 
a  good  sleep,  strong  and  well,  and  put  on 
your  clothes,  you  feel  ready  to  jump  about 
and  play.  By  and  by  you  go  out  into  the 
garden,  you  smell  the  sweet  flowers,  you 
see  the  blue  sky,  you  feel  the  warm  sun,  you 
see  the  lambs  run  about,  and  hear  the  birds 
sing.  You  can  run  about  like  the  lambs, 
and  sing  like  the  birds.  The  lambs  and  the 
birds  are  not  more  gay  than  you.  When 
you  are  tired  and  come  in,  you  learn  to  read 
or  to  sew  ;  and  then  you  play  again.  When 
you  are  hungry  you  have  plenty  to  eat. 
Kind  friends  take  care  of  you,  because  you 
cannot  take  care  of  yourselves  :  and  when 
night  comes  the  birds  go  to  their  nests,  the 
bees  go  to  their  hives,  and  you  go  to  your  nice 
1* 


6  SOME  THINGS  WHICH 

little  beds.     Who  has  made  you  so  happy  ? 
Your  parents  take  care  of  you,  but  God  made 
both  them  and  you.     He  made  the  flowers 
so  sweet  to  please  you.     He  made  the  birds 
sing,  and  the  lambs  to  play.     He  makes  the 
sun  warm  you.     He  gives  you  your  sleep, 
your  clothes,  and  your  food.     He  makes  you 
feel  so  happy  all  the  day.   Why  has  he  given 
you  so  many  things?     Because  he  is  good. 
He  is  with  you  every  day,  in  every  place. 
He  knows  what  you  think,  what  you  speak, 
and  what  you  do ;    and    he  loves  to  see  a 
little  child  happy  and  good.     Do  you  love 
him  for  being  so  good  ?     When  you  feel  so 
happy  do  you  bless  him  for  it?     The  birds 
and  the  lambs  cannot  bless  him  as  you  can ; 
because  they  have  no  souls,  and  they  cannot 
speak.     It  is   your  soul   which   thinks,   and 
loves,  and  makes  you  speak.     God  gave  you 
your  soul  that  you  may  know  him  and  love 
him.    Your  soul  will  never  die.     When  your 
body  dies,  and  is  put  into  the  grave,  your  soul 
will  live  in  heaven  or  in  hell.      When  the 
poor  sheep  die  they  die  quite,  because  they 
have  no  souls.     But  you  will  still  think,  and 
feel,  and  love,  when  your  body  is  dead.     If 


LITTLE  CHILDREN  OUGHT  TO  KNOW.  7 

you  love  God,  you  will  then  be  with  him  in 
heaven,  which  is  a  very  happy  place,  where 
all  good  children  are  ;  and  where  all  are  who 
loved  the  Lord  when  they  were  on  earth : 
but  if  you  do  not  love  God,  you  will  be  put 
away  from  God  into  hell,  a  place  of  torment, 
where  all  bad  children  are,  with  the  devil, 
and  with  all  bad  people.  Now,  my  dear  little 
children,  unless  God  has  changed  your  hearts 
you  do  not  love  him  ;  and  I  fear  that  you 
show  this  by  many  things.  Do  you  love  to 
think  of  him?  Do  you  praise  him  for  all 
that  you  have  ?  Do  you  like  to  hear  your 
parents  speak  to  you  of  him  ?  Above  all,  do 
you  like  to  do  as  he  bids  you  in  his  w^ord  ? 
If  not,  then  you  have  not  loved  him,  though 
he  gives  you  every  thing  which  you  have  ; 
and  what  do  you  deserve  for  this  ?  Since 
you  do  not  love  him,  he  might  be  angry  w4th 
you,  and  never  bless  you  any  more  ;  but  take 
away  all  that  he  has  given  you ;  and  leave 
you  without  parents,  without  friends,  without 
food  or  clothes,  and  without  any  hope  of 
going  to  heaven.  But  God  is  so  good  and  so 
kind,  that  instead  of  saying  you  should  be  un- 
happy for  ever,  he  sent  his  dear  Son  Jesus 


8  SOME  THINGS  WHICH 

Christ  to  make  you  for  ever  happy.  You 
deserve  to  suffer  for  your  sins,  but  Jesus 
Christ  came  to  suffer  instead  of  you.  He 
came  dov^^n  from  heaven  for  you;  he  bore 
much  pain  for  you ;  and  at  last  wicked  men 
put  up  a  cross  of  wood,  to  which  they  nailed 
his  hands  and  his  feet,  and  left  him  to  die. 
He  might  have  killed  those  wicked  men  if  he 
had  pleased,  and  saved  himself  from  the  pain 
of  that  dreadful  death :  but  he  would  not 
because  he  loved  you,  and  because  it  was 
needful  that  he  should  bear  the  punishment 
which  your  sins  deserved.  So  he  died  on 
the  cross  that  you  might  not  suffer  in  hell. 
You  cannot  save  yourselves,  but  he  can  save 
you.  God  is  pleased  to  pardon  and  to  bless 
for  his  sake  those  sinners  who  believe  in  him. 
If  you  do  not  so  trust  him  as  to  give  your- 
selves up  to  his  care,  then  God  will  punish 
you  for  all  your  other  sins,  and  for  not  trust- 
ing in  Christ.  Then  you  will  go  to  hell  for 
ever ;  and  for  being  so  ungrateful  to  Christ, 
you  will  suffer  more  there  than  if  he  had 
never  come  to  save  you.  Once  there,  you 
will  never  come  out  again,  but  you  will  be 
lost  for  ever.     Because  you  are  so  wicked  as 


LITTLE  CHILDREN  OUGHT  TO  KNOW.  b 

to  refuse  to  come  to  Christ  to  save  you,  God 
can  never  have  mercy  upon  you  any  more. 
You  must  Uve  for  ever  with  the  devil  and 
with  his  angels  in  hell  lire.  But  if  you  own 
that  you  deserve  the  wrath  of  God ;  if  you 
trust  in  Jesus  Christ  to  save  you ;  and  if  you 
put  yourself  under  his  care,  and  will  do 
what  he  bids  you,  then  he  will  save  you ; 
and  God  will  bless  you  for  his  sake.  Although 
your  hearts  are  so  wicked,  that  you  have  not 
loved  God  for  all  his  goodness,  yet  instead  of 
sending  you  to  hell,  he  is  willing  to  make  you 
as  happy  as  the  angels  are  in  heaven.  Ask, 
therefore,  God  to  change  your  hearts,  that 
you  may  feel  your  guilt,  fear  his  wrath,  trust 
in  Jesus,  and  give  yourselves  up  to  him  from 
this  time.  Many  little  children  have  done  so. 
God,  by  his  Spirit,  made  them  sorry  for  their 
sins,  and  led  them  to  believe  in  Christ ;  and 
when  they  did  so,  then  they  loved  Christ  for 
being  so  good  to  them ;  then  they  read  the 
Bible  and  prayed  often  in  secret ;  they  fear- 
ed to  sin  and  they  strove  against  it;  they 
loved  good  children,  and  did  not  like  to  be 
with  bad  ones  ;  they  obeyed  their  parents  : 
they  tried  to  do  every  thing  that  was  right : 


10  WHAT  CHILDREN  OUGHT  TO  KNOW. 

they  were  patient  when  they  were  sick,  and 
they  did  not  fear  to  die.  Faith  in  Christ 
would  make  you  as  pious  as  they  were.  You 
must  be  so,  dear  children,  to  go  to  heaven 
when  you  die,  or  to  be  happy  while  you  live. 
And  now,  while  you  read  about  some  of  these 
children  in  this  little  book,  pray  to  God, 
through  Jesus  Christ,  to  make  you  as  pious 
and  as  happy  as  they  were. 


I)  WID    BROWN.  11 


DAVID    BROWN.* 


The  sweet  rose  soon  dies ;  but  every  one 
loves  it  while  it  lasts.  So  little  David  Brown 
soon  died  ;  but  every  one  loved  him  while  he 
lived,  because  God  made  him  very  good. 
His  heart  was  at  first  bad,  as  the  heart  of 
every  child  is,  but  God  changed  it  by  his  grace 
and  gave  him  a  new  heart,  and  that  made 
him  very  dear  to  his  parents.  When  he  did 
wrong  he  was  very  sad,  and  when  his  parents 
punished  him  he  knew  they  did  right,  and 
only  loved  them  for  it.  As  he  sat  on  his 
mother's  knees  he  said  to  her,  with  a  fond 
smile,  "  Mamma,  you  love  me,  but  you  don't 
love  my  naughty  ways,  so  you  punish  my 
naughty  ways."  David  loved  to  learn  texts 
and  hymns,  because  they  made  him  know 
about  God  ;  and  he  often  asked  his  mother, 

*  He  died  January  16,  1834,  aged  foiir  years  and  a  half. 


12  DAVID    BROWN. 

with  tears,  to  teach  him  to  read,  though  he 
was  not  five  years  old  when  he  died.  When 
he  was  out  of  doors  he  used  to  ask  his  mamma 
and  papa  so  many  things,  about  the  trees  and 
the  flowers,  the  sheep  and  the  birds,  the  sky 
and  the  clouds,  and  about  all  that  he  saw. 
Sometimes  he  said,  "How  good  God  is  to 
teach  the  bird  to  make  such  a  nice  warm 
nest.  God  puts  honey  in  the  flowers  for  the 
poor  bees,  and  teaches  them  how  to  get  it. 
Why  does  God  let  the  hawk  kill  poor  robins? 
I  dare  say  it  is  for  good,  else  God  would  not 
let  them.  See  what  nice  grass  God  makes 
grow  for  the  sheep.  I  wonder  why  there  are 
nettles ;  but  I  am  sure  it  is  for  good,  since 
God  made  them." 

When  the  swallows  went  away  he  asked, 
"  Where  they  were  gone  ?"  His  brother  Ab- 
ner  told  him  they  were  gone  to  Africa  to  be 
warm  and  to  get  food  in  winter.  "  But  how 
do  they  know  the  way,  and  get  over  the  great 
wide  sea  ?"  "  God  taught  them  to  fly  to 
Gibraltar,  where  the  sea  is  narrow."  "  I  won- 
der what  they  are  seeing  in  Africa  *,  1  wish  I 
was  with  them,  they  are  all  so  nice  and  warm 
there."    As  some  of  the  little  birds  were  kill- 


DAVID    BROWN.  18 

ed  for  eating  the  fruit,  David,  when  he  saw  a 
Uttle  bird,  would  say,  "  Does  that  kind  do 
harm  ?"  and  if  ho  was  told  that  it  did  not,  he 
said,  "  O,  I  glad  we  need  not  shoot  it  then." 

Once  he  said,  "  It  is  in  God's  book  *  Love 
your  neighbour  as  yourself,'  what  does  it 
mean  ?  I  love  every  body,  but  I  sure  I  do 
not  love  myself."  His  papa  told  him  some 
things  which  he  did,  which  showed  he  loved 
himself  too  well.  Then  he  was  sad,  and  said, 
"  Why  is  it  so,  papa  ?  I  did  not  know  I  loved 
myself,  I  sure  I  did  not  mean  a  do  it ;  I  will 
try  love  every  body  as  much  as  I  love  myself." 
Sometimes  he  jumped  upon  his  papa's  knee 
and  said,  "  I  love  you,  I  love  mamma,  and 
brother  and  sister,  I  love  every  body,  and 
every  body  loves  me." 

These  three  little  children  loved  each  other 
very  much.  Abner,  who  was  four  years 
older  than  David,  loved  to  be  with  him,  taught 
him,  played  with  him,  drew  pictures  for  him, 
built  his  bricks,  wiped  his  tears,  .and  would 
give  up  any  thing  to  him.  David  was  never 
so  happy  as  when  he  was  with  Abner,  and 
often  when  by  himself,  would  think  what  he 
could  do  to  make  Abby  pleased.  It  was 
2 


14  DAVID    BROWN. 

sweet  to  see  these  three  Httle  things  sit  on 
one  stool,  Abby  in  the  middle,  with  his  arms 
round  the  necks  of  the  other  two,  and  to  hear 
him  tell  them  what  he  had  read  or  heard. 

David  was  also  very  fond  of  his  parents. 
When  he  wanted  to  play,  he  would  first  say, 
"Dear  papa,  will  it  make  your  head  ache 
more  ?"  or  if  he  wished  to  sing,  he  would  say, 
"  Dear  mamma,  can  you  bear  me  to  sing  my 
hymns  now  ?"  When  his  papa  came  home 
he  used  to  say,  "  I  sure  you  very  tired,  dear 
papa  ;"  then  he  jumped  upon  his  knee,  threw 
his  arms  round  his  neck,  and  said,  "  Let  me 
smudder  (smother)  you  with  kisses.  Dear 
papa,  you  so  very  dear  to  me,  me  can't  tell 
how  dear  you  are."  "  But  why  do  you  love 
me  ?"  "  I  love  you,  and  you  love  me,  and 
that  makes  me  love  you,  and  I  can't  tell  you 
any  more  about  it,  only  I  love  you,  and  I 
don't  know  why." 

If  at  any  time  his  mamma  said  to  him  in 
play,  "  You  don't  love  me,"  he  was  very  grave, 
and  said,  with  a  tear,  "  Please  don't  say  so, 
mamma  ;  me  don't  like  you  to  say  so ;  it  not 
true,  mamma ;  you  know  I  love  you  twenty 
thousand  loves."     And  if  ever  they  did  not 


DAVID    BROWN.  16 

kiss  him  when  he  went  to  bed,  he  would  say, 
"  You  should  not  forget  to  kiss  me,  because  I 
love  you  so."  When  his  father  had  been  out 
for  some  hours,  he  came  running  to  meet  him, 
and  said,  "  It  is  such  a  long  time  since  I  saw 
you,  O  !  almost  all  day." 

When  Mrs.  S.,  who  lived  in  the  village, 
lost  three  of  her  children,  he  said,  "  Why  does 
God  make  poor  Mrs.  S.'s  children  die  so  fast  ? 
in  summer  she  had  four  little  children,  and 
now  she  has  three  little  graves  and  one  little 
child  ;  I  hope  God  will  comfort  her."  As  he 
came  from  church  he  looked  at  those  little 
graves,  and  said,  "  Mamma,  you  have  got 
three  little  children  and  one  little  grave.  I 
hope  God  won't  make  you  have  three  little 
graves  and  one  little  child."  A  few  days 
from  that  time,  he  and  his  brother  Abner  were 
laid  in  the  grave  near  their  little  brother  Wil- 
liam. Other  little  children,  full  of  joy  and 
play,  may  die  in  a  few  days  as  they  did  :  but 
Abner  and  David  went  to  heaven,  because 
they  loved  God. 

Sometimes  David  heard  of  those  poor  hea- 
then who  bow  down  to  idols,  and  do  not  know 
God ;  then  he  used  to  say,  "  Why  does  no- 


16  DAVID    BROWN. 

body  go  to  teach  them  about  God's  Bible  ? 
would  they  kill  any  body  who  went  ?  I  wish 
J  was  a  man,  to  go  and  tell  them  about  Jesus 
Christ." 

As  little  David  loved  every  body,  so  he 
was  happy  all  the  day.  He  liked  to  hear  his 
parents  talk  to  him  ;  he  liked  to  learn  hymns 
and  texts  ;  he  liked  to  pray  ;  he  liked  to  go  to 
church ;  he  liked  to  do  as  he  was  bid ;  he 
liked  to  run,  and  jump,  and  play.  Often  while 
he  was  at  play,  he  ran  up  to  his  mother  and 
said,  "  You  can't  think  what  many  comforts 
God  gives  me ;  O  such  a  many.  God  is  so 
good.  He  gives  me  papa  and  mamma  to  love 
me  and  take  care  of  me.  O  see  what  nice 
playthings  God  has  given  me.  See  what 
flowers  God  makes  grow  in  the  garden  for 
me.  God  gives  me  all  I  have."  As  soon  as 
he  waked  in  the  morning  he  said  his  hymns 
in  his  bed  :  he  knew  forty ;  he  loved  to  sing 
them  all  the  day,  and  when  night  came,  he 
said,  "  How  soon  the  day  has  passed." 

David  often  thought  of  God.  He  used  to 
say,  "  God  is  in  this  roomx ;  God  is  in  this  field  ; 
God  is  close  beside  us ;  God  takes  care  of  us 
all  the  day ;  God  looks  at  my  heart ;  God 


DAVID    BROWN.  17 

sees  what  me  thinking  about ;  if  God  pleased 
not  to  keep  me,  I  should  die  this  very  minute ; 
God  has  kept  me  all  the  night." 

One  night,  when  his  mother  went  out  of  the 
room,  he  said,  "  O  mamma,  let  me  come  with 
you,  it  will  be  dark."  The  room  was  quite 
dark.  But  when  his  mother  said,  "  Is  not  God 
in  the  dark  ?"  he  said,  "  O,  I  forgot,"  and  then 
ran  back  and  sat  still  till  she  came  ;  when  he 
said,  "  See,  God  was  in  the  dark  all  the  while, 
and  took  care  of  me."  ^ 

As  he  did  not  fear  the  dark,  so  he  did  not 
fear  to  die.  But  he  often  said,  "  We  don't 
know  how  soon  we  may  die."  Sometimes 
he  stood  by  the  grave  of  his  little  brother,  and 
caid  he  was  in  heaven.  x\nd  once,  just  before 
he  was  ill,  he  said,  "  When  I  die  they  will  put 
my  body  in  the  grave,  but  I  shall  not  be  there ; 
1  shall  be  in  heaven."  He  said  true.  The 
soul  will  not  die  when  the  body  dies,  but  will 
go  to  heaven  or  to  hell ;  and  as  God  had 
given  him  a  new  heart,  he  could  not  go  to 
hell. 

But  though  David  was  a  good  and  kind 
boy,  he  sometimes  was  in  a  passion,  for  which 
he  was  punished.  How  sad  it  is  that  we  can- 
2* 


18  DAVID    BROWN. 

not  put  away  all  sin,  and  only  do  what  is 
right.  But  the  punishment  did  him  great  good, 
and  he  grew  more  meek  and  patient. 

Though  David  w^as  full  of  play,  he  was 
never  rude  ;  nor  did  he  like  to  see  any  one 
cruel.  He  was  angry  with  those  cruel  boys 
who  took  their  nests  from  the  poor  birds,  and 
said,  "  How  should  we  like  to  be  taken  out  of 
our  warm  beds  and  killed  ?"  Some  little  boys 
will  do  wrong,  and  then  tell  a  lie  to  hide  it; 
but  David  was  never  known  to  tell  a  lie  in  his 
life,  and  he  did  not  like  liars. 

Some  little  boys,  if  they  were  alone  in  the 
garden,  and  they  saw  a  tree  full  of  plumbs  or 
of  apples,  they  would  take  them,  though  they 
had  been  told  not :  but  little  David  couid  be 
trusted  alone  in  the  garden,  and  would  not 
touch  the  fruit;  or  if  he  ever  plucked  oae 
gooseberry,  saying,  "  Me  sure  one  won't  make 
me  ill,"  he  always  came  and  told  that  he  had 
done  so. 

If  he  cut  his  finger  he  would  say,  "  O,  it 
not  much,  it  soon  better ;  please  put  balsam 
on  it ;  it  only  'marts  a  little  ;  it  can't  make  it 
well  unless  it  'marts  ;  it  soon  be  better."  Is 
not  that  much  better  than  crying  about  it  ? 


DA VII)  niiuvvx.  19 

It  is  best  for  a  little  boy  not  to  play  with 
knives  ;  but  if  he  does  cut  his  finger,  he  should 
bear  it  as  David  did. 

Jesus  Christ  when  he  was  on  earth  fed  a 
great  many  persons  with  five  loaves  of  bread, 
because  he  was  God  as  well  as  man,  and  could 
make  a  little  bread  grow  into  a  great  deal ; 
but  when  they  had  had  enough,  he  told  them 
to  gather  up  the  bits  that  were  left.  This 
David  knew,  and  did  not  like  any  w^aste. 
When  he  saw  the  servant  brush  away  a  piece 
of  bread,  he  would  say,  "  Pick  up  that,  since 
Jesus  said, '  Let  nothing  be  lost.'"  If  he  saw 
any  thing  thrown  away,  he  used  to  say,  "  God 
gave  it  to  us,  so  we  must  not  waste  it."  How 
fmlike  him  are  those  children  who  throw 
away  bread,  break  their  playthings,  tear  their 
books,  and  spoil  their  clothes.  What  was 
better  still,  this  little  boy  loved  the  Saviour. 
He  used  to  say,  "  Jesa  Christ  love  us,  I  sure 
ne  does,  'cause  he  died  on  the  cross  for  us.  I 
wish  I  could  believe  on  him ;  I  will  pray  to 
him  to  make  me  believe  on  him :  will  he  hear 
me  ?"  The  day  he  was  taken  ill,  he  jumped 
up  from  his  playthings,  climbed  on  his  father's 
Imee,  put  his  arms  round  his  neck,  and  said, 


20  DAVID    BROWN. 

"  I  love  Jcsa  Christ,  Jesa  Christ  loves  me." 
He  had  good  cause  to  love  Jesus  Christ.  He 
is  nov;^  in  heaven  ;  and  if  Jesus  had  not  loved 
him,  and  died  for  him,  he  w^ould  have  been  in 
hell.  Jesus  did  a  great  deal  more  for  him 
than  his  papa  or  his  mamma  could  do.  Jesus  is 
the  best  friend  of  a  little  child.  Every  little 
child  should  think  hov^  good  and  kind  the 
Lord  Jesus  is,  and  like  David,  should  ask  God 
for  grace  to  love  him. 

David  was  not  like  those  children  v^ho  care 
little  about  their  sins.  When  he  had  done 
wrong,  he  could  not  be  happy  very  soon. 
After  he  had  been  forgiven  by  his  parents  he 
would  still  look  so  sad,  at  last  he  would  run 
to  them  and  say,  "  I  so  sorry,  I  sorry,  O  I  sor- 
ry," and  then  he  was  happy  again.  But  what 
made  him  ever  sin  ?  It  was  that  his  heart 
was  at  first  wicked ;  this  makes  all  children 
do  wrong.  And  they  will  still  do  wrong,  un- 
less God  gives  them  a  new  heart.  They 
should  try  to  leave  off  each  sin,  and  do  all  that 
is  right  in  the  sight  of  God ;  but  they  should 
still  more  pray  him  to  make  their  hearts  good ; 
for  if  once  their  hearts  are  good,  they  will  do 
what  is  right.     Yet  even  then  the  devil  will 


DAVID    BROWN.  21 

tempi  them  to  sin.  Though  David's  heart 
was  changed,  still  it  was  not  free  from  all  sin. 
But  whenever  it  made  him  do  wrong  he  was 
sorry  for  it.  Often  he  said,  "  How  I  wish  1 
had  no  naughty  heart.  We  shall  have  no 
naughty  heart  in  heaven,  mamma.  I  wish 
God  would  take  all  my  naughty  heart  away : 
I  wish  he  would." 

But  his  heart  was  made  good,  though  still 
some  sin  remained.  For  he  loved  texts  and 
hymns,  and  was  always  saying  them  lo  him- 
self; he  loved  the  Sabbath,  and  he  loved 
prayer.  And  when  God  has  made  a  little 
child  hate  sin,  and  love  these  good  things,  we 
may  know  that  he  has  made  him  love  the  Sa- 
viour too.  Often  also  David  talked  of  heaven, 
thus  :  "  They  will  be  singing  hymns  always 
in  heaven.  Can  Satan  get  at  us  in  heaven  ? 
I  hope  God  won't  let  him.  When  we  get  to 
heaven  we  shall  have  no  naughty  hearts.  We 
shall  never  be  sick  in  heaven."  These  thous^hts 
came  into  his  mind  at  all  times.  When  he 
was  walking  with  his  brother  and  sister,  one 
of  them  said,  "  It  is  time  to  turn  home  ;"  on 
which  he  said,  "  Sissa,  don't  you  know  we've 
got  no  home  only  heaven  ? " 


22  DAVID    BROWN. 

We  cannot  stay  long  in  our  home  on  earth 
but  we  need  not  mind,  if  we  have  such  a  hap- 
py home  above.  David  very  soon  went  from 
his  home  on  earth ;  but  God  was  ready  to  re- 
ceive him  into  heaven.  Why  should  we  grieve 
for  him?   Lhope  we  shall  be  soon  where  he  is. 

One  Thursday  he  was  at  play  in  the  gar- 
den, and  there  came  a  thick  fog.  When  he 
came  into  the  house  he  had  a  sore  throat,  the 
next  day  he  was  very  ill,  and  then  he  died. 
But  he  was  not  afraid,  because  God  was  with 
him.  One  of  his  last  prayers  was  this :  "  God 
bless  me ;  make  me  a  good  boy  ;  give  me  a 
new  heart;  forgive  me  my  sins  :  fill  me  full  of 
love ;  make  me  love  Jesa  Christ ;  wash  away 
my  sins  in  Jesus'  blood  ;  put  thy  Holy  Spirit 
into  my  heart ;  take  away  my  naughty  heart ; 
make  me  to  do  as  I  am  bid ;  make  me  not  un- 
kind, nor  idle,  nor  selfish ;  make  me  a  true 
child ;  make  me  do  the  same,  when  papa  and 
mamma  do  not  see  me,  as  when  they  do ; 
make  me  ready  to  die  when  thou  shalt  be 
pleased  to  call  me  ;  take  care  of  me  all  this 
day ;  take  me  to  heaven  when  I  die,  for  Christ's 
sake.     Amen." 


DAVID    BROWN.  23 

God  has  heard  his  prayer,  and  he  is  now 
safe.  His  body  Kes  in  the  grave,  but  he  is 
with  God.  Will  you  not  try  and  pray,  dear 
cliildren,  that  you  may  be  as  happy  and  as 
good  as  he  was  ? 


24  LOUISA    WOODD    MORTLOCK. 


LOUISA  WOODD  MORTLOCK.* 


Louisa  Mortlock  was  an  aflectionate  little 
girl,  and  very  fond  of  truth.  She  was  some- 
times self-willed;  and  did  not  like  to  obey ; 
but  this  was  only  till  she  was  four  years  old. 
After  that  she  did  what  her  parents  wished ; 
and  when  they  showed  her  what  was  wrong 
in  what  she  said  or  in  what  she  did,  she  tried 
not  to  say  it  again  or  not  to  do  it  again. 
She  was  afraid  of  sinning  against  God ;  and 
it  made  her  very  sorry  to  be  told  that  she 
was  not  like  the  Saviour.  When  she  was 
four  years  and  a  half  old  she  had  an  illness, 
and  it  made  her  fretful.  Her  mother  then 
said  to  her,  "  This  is  wrong  :  how  many  com- 
forts you  have  in  illness,  which  many  poor 
children  have  not !"  This  made  her  burst 
into  tears,  and  say,  "  I  did  not  know  it  was  a 

*  She  was  bom  July  10,  1810,  and  died  May  8, 1820. 


LOUISA    WOODD    MORTLOCK.  25' 

sin  ;  pray  that  God  will  forgive  it,  and  that  I 
may  be  more  patient,  and  more  like  the  Savi- 
our." After  this  she  was  more  careful  about 
her  temper.  When  she  was  five  years  old 
she  could  read  very  well,  and  learned  many 
verses  of  the  Bible  without  being  told  to  do 
so.  At  family  prayer  and  at  public  worship 
she  did  not  look  about  her,  but  was  quiet  and 
thoughtful. 

Before  she  was  six  years  old  she  began  tO' 
read  the  Bible  by  herself  in  private  ;  and  used 
to  speak  about  what  she  read.  Silly  books- 
did  not  please  her  ;  but  she  loved  to  read  the 
Bible,  the  History  of  England,  Hymns  for  In- 
fant Minds,  and  other  useful  books.  Yet  she 
was  lively,  cheerful,  and  fond  of  playing  with 
her  little  friends.  God  loves  us  to  be  happy ; 
and  he  has  made  little  children  to  be  fond  of 
play,  as  well  as  to  take  delight  in  knowing 
and  serving  him. 

But  though  she  was  a  sweet  little  girl,  so 
dear  to  her  parents,  and  so  happy,  she  was 
not  to  live  long  on  earth.  Beifore  she  was 
seven  years  old  she  had  the  measles ;  and 
after  that  she  was  never  quite  well  again. 
God  took  away  her  health ;  but  he  gave  her 
3 


26  LOUISA    WOODD    MORTLOCK. 

his  grace,  which  was  much  better ;  and  this 
made  her  patient  and  wiUing  to  die.  One 
day  her  mother  told  her  that  perhaps  she 
would  never  get  well  : — this  did  not  frighten 
her ;  for  she  only  said,  "  Well,  God  knows 
what  is  best  for  me ;  I  hope,  if  I  should  not 
recover,  that  I  shall  go  to  heaven."  When 
children  know,  like  her,  that  God  takes  care 
of  them,  nothing  can  frighten  them,  and  no- 
thing can  make  them  fret. 

Some  time  after  this  her  aunt  died,  whom 
she  loved  very  much.  This  also  made  her 
think  more  about  dying,  and  she  said  to  her 
mother,  "  I  hope  God  will  make  me  fit  to  go 
to  heaven,  and  then  I  shall  see  my  dear  aunt 
again."  How  good  it  is  in  God  to  let  us  hope 
to  see  each  other  again  after  death.  Parents 
and  children,  brothers  and  sisters,  are  taken 
from  each  other  by  death ;  and  for  a  little 
while  they  feel  sad  to  be  left  alone ;  but  if 
they  love  the  Lord,  they  will  all  be  happy  to- 
gether in  heaven,  and  will  never  part  any 
more. 

As  she  grew  worse  in  health  she  grew 
more  pious.  One  day  before  she  was  eight 
years  old,  when  her  mother  asked  her  how 


LOUISA    WOODD    MORTLOCK.  27 

she  was,  she  said,  "  Sin  is  my  worst  com- 
plaint :  when  I  pray  my  heart  is  full  of  vain 
thoughts.  I  do  not  think  I  can  say  '  Thy  will 
be  done.'  I  wish  to  get  well  and  play  about, 
and  I  do  not  feel  quite  willing  to  suffer  pain." 
Yet  sometimes  she  said  she  felt  willing  even 
to  suffer.  And  she  added,  "  I  often  pray  that 
God  will  pardon  my  sins  and  make  me  holy ; 
but  my  sins  are  so  many.  Will  Christ  for- 
give me  ?"  And  then  she  burst  into  tears. 
God  loves  little  children  to  be  sorry  for  their 
sins ;  and  those  who  feel  them  the  most  are 
almost  always  the  best  children.  To  think 
little  of  our  sins  does  not  show  that  we  are 
good,  but  that  we  are  proud.  One  day,  when 
the  first  chapter  of  the  first  Epistle  of  Peter 
was  read  to  her,  she  liked  it  so  much  that 
she  begged  it  might  be  read  to  her  every 
day  ;  and  she  very  soon  could  say  it  by 
heart. 

When  she  was  eight,  she  got  a  little 
better  ;  and  then  she  wished  to  begin  her 
lessons  again,  saying,  "  If  1  should  recover, 
it  will  be  a  sad  thing  to  have  lost  so  much 
time."  But  she  had  not  strength  to  learn 
much  herself,  and  therefore,  to  be  useful,  she 


28  LOUISA    WOODD    MORTLOCK. 

had  a  few  poor  children  brought  to  her,  heard 
them  read  the  Bible,  and  asked  them  ques- 
tions on  what  they  read.  It  was  a  pretty 
sight  to  see  that  little  girl  of  eight  years  old, 
trying  to  teach  other  little  children  the  way 
to  heaven.  For  some  time  after  this  she  had 
great  fears  about  her  state.  She  felt  deeply 
her  sins ;  she  was  not  as  holy  as  she  wished 
to  be  ;  and  she  was  afraid  that  it  was  the 
thought  of  death  which  made  her  care  about 
being  good,  and  that  she  was  not  truly  pious. 
But  at  length  God  gave  her  more  faith  ;  she 
could  believe  his  promises  and  trust  his  good- 
ness. She  still  grew  worse  in  health,  and  did 
not  expect  ever  to  recover.  But  she  hoped 
to  be  blessed  after  death  ;  and  said,  "  I  trust, 
through  the  merit  of  Christ,  I  shall  be  pardon- 
ed, accepted,  and  taken  to  heaven :  there  all 
is  well,  no  weary  body,  no  sinful  soul."  An- 
other day,  after  speaking  of  the  love  of  God 
and  of  Christ,  and  of  the  goodness  of  God  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  drawing  sinners  to  seek  God, 
she  said,  "  I  am  much  happier  now  than  when 
1  was  well  and  used  to  play  about ;  play 
amuses  us,  but  one  verse  of  Scripture  gives 
more  real  pleasure  than  anv  of  those  amuse- 


LOUISA    WOODD    MORTLOCK.  29 

ments."  Another  day  she  said,  "  How  we 
ought  to  love  the  Redeemer  !  By  dying  he 
took  away  the  sting  of  death,  and  is  gone  to 
prepare  a  place  for  us.  Sin  is  our  greatest 
enemy,  but  it  will  never  enter  heaven.  When 
we  are  made  meet  the  Lord  will  take  us  to 
glory."  And  when  a  friend  said  to  her, 
"  How  shall  we  enter  heaven  ? "  she  said, 
"  Through  the  merit  of  Christ ;  he  came  to 
save  sinners  like  me.  I  do  not  mean  that 
there  will  ever  be  any  thing  in  us  to  merit 
heaven,  but  only  that  we  shall  be  more  fit  to 
enjoy  heaven." 

Another  day  she  said  to  her  sister,  "  Dear- 
est Mary,  I  fear  you  are  not  much  concerned 
about  the  salvation  of  your  soul.  O,  how  I 
pray  and  wish  that  you  and  all  my  dear  cou- 
sins, may  learn  to  love  and  serve  God  ;  then 
you  will  be  happy,  whether  you  live  or  die." 

After  this  she  was  patient,  and  quite  wil- 
ling to  die.  She  said  that  all  her  hope  was 
in  Jesus,  and  asked  her  mother  to  pray  that 
she  might  soon  go.  She  urged  her  cousins 
to  seek  God.  She  was  thankful  for  all  the 
comforts  she  had  in  her  illness,  and  said  that 
she  could  lie  on  her  bed  and  think  on  many 
3* 


30  LOUISA    WOODD    MORTLOCK. 

chapters  and  verses  of  Scripture  which  she 
had  learned  by  heart.  One  day  she  said  to 
her  sister,  "  Dear  Mary,  the  hope  of  glory, 
through  the  blood  of  Christ,  makes  me  happy ;" 
and  the  next  day  she  added,  "  The  first  part 
of  my  illness  I  could  not  bear  to  think  I  should 
not  recover.  I  v^^as  afraid  my  sins  were  not 
pardoned,  and  that  I  should  not  go  to  heaven. 
But  as  I  have  grown  worse  in  body,  I  have 
understood  more  of  the  love  and  grace  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  now  I  have  no  fear." 

One  day  her  grandfather  said  to  her,  "  How 
long,  my  dear  child,  have  you  had  such 
serious  thoughts  ?"  She  answered,  "  When 
I  was  about  five  years  old  I  used  to  think  a 
great  deal  about  God,  and  then  I  used  to  pray 
to  God  to  give  me  his  grace."  "  And  what 
prayers  did  you  use  ?"  "  I  often  used  my  own 
words,  and  I  was  very  fond  of  your  little 
prayer  printed  on  a  card."  Another  day  she 
said  to  her  mother  she  had  been  thinking  of 
the  bliss  of  heaven,  and  added,  "  It  is  to  see 
Christ,  to  love  him,  to  praise  him  for  his  love 
to  sinners  :  and  here  on  earth,  to  hope  in 
'Christ  for  pardon,  to  submit  to  his  guidance, 


LOUISA    WOODD    MORTLOCK.  31 

and  to  praise  him  for  his  grace,  is  heaven 
begun." 

In  this  sweet  way  she  spoke  often  for  many 
days.  She  spent  much  time  in  prayer :  she 
mourned  for  her  want  of  faith  and  love,  but 
rested  on  Christ  and  felt  no  fear  of  death.  As 
she  believed  in  the  love  of  Christ  she  wished 
to  die,  but  at  the  same  time  was  willing  to 
stay  on  earth  as  long  as  God  pleased.  When 
her  maid  and  her  sister  cried,  because  they 
saw  her  so  thin  and  weak,  she  told  them  not 
to  cry ;  and  she  looked  on  with  joy  to  the 
time  when  her  dear  mother  would  come  after 
her  to  heaven.  In  this  calm  state  she  died. 
Her  last  words  were,  "I  am  very  happy." 
She  then  laid  her  little  head  upon  her  mother's 
shoulder,  who  was  nursing  her,  and,  without 
one  sigh  or  struggle,  her  spirit  went  to  God. 
She  was  only  nine  years  and  ten  months  old 
when  she  died ;  but  she  had  lived  long  enough 
to  be  made  fit  for  heaven,  through  faith  in 
Christ,  and  death  was  to  her  gain. 


ANNIE    T. 


ANNIE  T,* 


Little  Annie  was  fair  and  rosy,  with  blue 
eyes,  and  light  hair  that  curled  over  her  large 
high  forehead.  How  sweet  she  looked  to 
her  parents !  But  like  those  fair,  bright 
clouds  which  we  see  edged  with  gold  at  sun- 
set, she  was  soon  to  lose  her  bright  eyes  and 
her  rosy  colour.  Yet,  her  parents  could, 
even  then,  think  of  her  with  joy  ;  for,  though 
her  body  turned  to  dust,  her  soul  went  up  to 
God. 

When  she  was  a  little  baby  she  sat  on  her 
mother's  knee  at  the  time  of  family  prayer, 
and  was  taught  to  sit  still  and  quiet.  Her 
father  always  read  the  Bible  and  prayed  be- 
fore breakfast;  but  one  day,  when  he  had 
been  very  busy,  he  was  going  to  breakfast 

*  She  was  bora  Nov.  14,  1831,  and  died  March  5,  1835, 
aged  three  years  and  three  months. 


ANNIE    T.  33 

without  reading.  Annie,  who  was  a  Httle 
more  than  a  year  old,  did  not  Hke  them  not 
to  read  ;  so  she  put  out  her  hand  to  stop  him, 
and  said,  "  Ather,  ather  (father,  father)  no, 
no."  Her  mother  did  not  at  first  know  what 
she  meant,  and  said,  "What  do  you  want, 
Annie  ?"  Annie  then  looked  up  at  the  shelf 
where  the  Bible  lay.  Her  father  then  said, 
"  Is  it  the  Bible,  Annie  ?"  "  Is,  is,"  she  said, 
and  clapped  her  little  hands,  because  her  fa- 
ther knew  what  she  meant.  This  made  her 
father  take  down  the  Bible  and  read,  while 
the  little  girl  sat  to  Hsten,  with  her  hands 
clasped  as  usual. 

Before  she  was  two  years  old  she  came  to 
her  father  one  day  and  said,  "  Poor  mother 
very  poorly  !"  "  Yes,  Annie,"  said  her  father, 
"  and  father  very  poorly  too."  This  made  the 
dear  little  child  burst  into  tears  ;  and,  as  he 
was  lying  down,  she  ran  to  fetch  a  cushion, 
and  she  put  it  under  his  head.  Another  time 
she  saw  a  boy  who  had  only  one  eye  ;  instead 
of  laughing  at  him,  as  some  wicked  children 
would  do,  she  was  so  sorry  for  him,  and,  com- 
ing to  her  father,  she  Hsped  out,  "  Poor  boy, 
ather  !  poor  boy  !" 


34  ANNIE    T. 

Another  thing  which  made  her  parents  love 
her  very  much  w^as,  that  she  seemed  to  have 
no  self-will  at  all.  Whatever  she  was  told  to 
do  she  did,  without  a  cross  word ;  without  a 
sullen  look,  without  a  murmur,  without  a  tear. 
She  liked  to  walk  out  with  her  nurse :  and 
one  day  her  nurse,  to  try  her  temper,  put  on 
her  bonnet  and  tippet,  and,  when  she  was  full 
of  joy  at  the  thought  of  going  out,  took  them 
off  again,  and  said  she  must  not  go.  Dear 
little  Annie  did  not  fret  in  the  least.  Another 
day,  when  she  had  a  bunch  of  grapes  in  her 
hand,  of  which  she  was  very  fond,  her  father^ 
who  wished  to  see  what  she  would  do,  asked 
her  to  give  him  one.  She  picked  one  off,  and 
said,  "  Here,  father,  here."  He  asked  for  an- 
other, and  she  picked  it  off,  and  said,  "  Here, 
father."  Then  he  asked  another,  and  an- 
other, till  she  picked  them  all  off,  without 
leaving  one  for  herself,  and  then  threw  the 
stalk  away,  without  one  tear,  and  without 
one  complaint.  I  do  not  doubt  that  her  father 
gave  her  another  bunch  of  grapes,  or  some- 
thing better,  when  he  saw  that  she  was  so 
kind.  Another  time  she  had  several  oranges 
given  to   her,   and    though  she   liked   them 


ANNIE    T.  35 

much,  she  gave  them  all  away :  indeed  she 
was  ever  ready  to  part  with  all  that  she  had. 

Her  mother  had  spoken  to  her  of  the  love 
of  Jesus  Christ,  and  of  the  goodness  of  God, 
our  heavenly  Father ;  and  often  she  heard 
this  little  girl,  when  alone,  singing  to  herself, 
"  Jesus,  Jesus  !  our  Father,  our  Father  !"  and 
if  she  heard  any  silly  nursery  rhyme  sung, 
she  would  say,  "  No,  no  ;  Jesus,  Jesus  !"  She 
meant,  that  she  liked  much  better  to  hear  of 
him,  than  of  that  nonsense  which  people 
sometimes  speak  to  little  children. 

If  her  little  brother,  who  was  more  light 
than  she  was,  did  not  sit  still  at  prayer-time, 
she  used  to  say  to  him,  as  soon  as  the  prayer 
was  finished,  "  Naughty  boy,  naughty  boy !" 
Besides  joining  in  the  family  prayer,  she  liked 
to  follow  her  father,  if  ever  she  saw  him  go 
into  his  room  to  pray.  She  then  sat  still  by 
his  side,  when  he  read  the  Bible  ;  and  when 
he  knelt  down  to  pray,  she  knelt  near  him  till 
he  rose  from  his  knees.  Often,  too,  she  was 
found  on  her  knees  by  herself,  up-stairs ;  and 
once,  having  been  left  some  hours  by  herself 
alone,  through  the  neglect  of  a  person  who 
was  then  taking  care  of  her,  instead  of  cry- 


36  ANNIE    T. 

ing  and  fretting  to  be  alone,  she  was  found 
upon  her  knees,  and  seemed  as  happy  as  if 
she  had  been  playing  all  the  while  with  her 
Httle  brother. 

When  she  was  ill,  she  took,  without  com- 
plaint, the  medicine  which  they  gave  her ;  and 
though  the  blisters  made  her  sore,  she  did  not 
fret  about  them.  When  one  blister  had  to  be 
taken  off,  and  the  place  was  very  sore,  her 
mother  could  not  bear  to  pain  her,  and  asked 
her  father  to  take  it  off;  but  he  also  knew  how 
much  it  must  hurt  her,  and  he  could  not  bear 
to  do  it.  While  they  were  both  afraid  to  do 
it,  Annie  saw  what  they  felt,  and  taking  hold 
of  the  edge  of  the  blister,  tore  it  off  at  once, 
and  said,  "  There,  mother  !"  She  was  then 
only  three  years  old.  Though  she  was  so 
very  young,  I  cannot  but  think  that  God  had 
given  to  her  his  grace  ;  for,  while  all  she  did 
and  said  was  so  good,  she  seemed,  above  all 
things,  to  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  When 
she  was  obliged  to  keep  in  her  room,  her  fa- 
ther used  daily  to  come  and  pray  with  her ; 
but  one  day,  being  busy,  he  did  not  come  at 
the  right  time.  She  had  been  watching  for 
him,  and  said,  "  Mother,  father  has  not  been 


ANNIE    T.  37 

up  to  prayer."  When  he  came,  he  said  to 
her,  "What  do  you  wish  for?"  "Pray — 
read,"  she  answered.  "  What  shall  we  read 
about  ?"  "  Jesus  Christ."  Three  days  before 
her  death  she  called  her  parents  up  at  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  calling  out,  "  Sing  Je- 
sus !"  and  when  they  ceased,  she  said,  "  More, 
more  of  Jesus !" 

The  morning  before  her  death,  when  a  lady 
whom  she  much  loved,  came  in  to  see  her, 
she  said  to  her,  "  Sing ;  sing  Jesus  !"  The 
lady  asked  whether  she  thought  she  was  go- 
ing to  him.  "  Yes  ;  quick,"  she  answered. 
An  hour  before  her  death  she  called  for  her 
father ;  and  when  he  came,  she  fixed  her  eyes 
upon  him,  and  said,  "  Jesus,  Jesus."  He  read 
to  her  a  hymn  respecting  the  Saviour,  and 
shortly  afterwards  she  died,  being  only  three 
years  and  three  months  old.  When  her  pa- 
rents pass  by  her  grave,  as  they  go  to  churchy 
they  think  that  their  little  darling  is  safe  and 
blessed,  and  it  comforts  them  in  their  grief. 


38  JAMES    BUDGE    JONES. 


JAMES  BUDGE  JONES.* 


James  Jones  was  a  pious  little  boy,  who 
feared  and  loved  God  when  he  was  very 
young.  God  is  so  good  to  us  that  we  ought 
to  love  him.  He  gives  us  all  that  we  have  ; 
he  takes  care  of  us  night  and  day ;  he  keeps 
us  from  being  sick  ;  he  sent  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ  to  save  us  from  hell ;  and  we  cannot 
love  him  too  much.  The  thought  of  these 
things  made  little  James,  when  he  was  about 
four  years  old,  throw  his  arms  round  his  fa- 
ther's neck  and  kiss  him,  and  say,  "  I  love 
you,  father,  and  I  love  God ;  and  when  I  go 
to  heaven  I  will  kiss  him  too."  A  little  child 
cannot  kiss  God,  because  God  is  a  Spirit,  who 
has  not  a  body  as  we  have ;  and  little  James 
knew  this  when  he  was  older.     But  though 

*  He  was  born  May  17,  1817,   and  died  May  26,  1826, 
aged  nine  years. 


JAMES    BUDGE    JONES.  39 

he  did  not  at  this  time  know  every  thing  about 
God,  still  he  could  love  him  for  his  goodness. 
As  he  loved  God,  so  he  loved  to  think  of 
heaven,  where  pious  children  see  the  Saviour 
face  to  face.  One  day,  when  he  saw  a  sea- 
gull rise  out  of  the  sea,  spread  out  its  wings, 
and  soar  up  to  the  sky,  "  Look,  look,"  he  said, 
"  Brother  William,  when  I  die  I  shall  fly  up 
to  heaven  like  that  bird."  But  cliildren  can- 
not go  to  heaven  unless  they  are  first  made  fit 
to  go  there.  Little  James  could  never  fly  up 
to  heaven  as  that  sea-gull  flew  up  to  the  sky, 
unless  he  learned  to  be  sorry  for  sin,  to  trust 
in  Christ,  to  do  the  will  of  God,  and  to  pray 
often  for  his  grace.  But  all  this  he  learned. 
When  he  once  forgot  to  pray  in  the  morning, 
he  could  not  be  quite  happy  through  all  the 
day  ;  and  when  he  was  ill  he  often  begged 
his  father  to  pray  with  him,  and  said  he  could 
not  be  comfortable  without  it. 

His  fear  of  God  made  him  love  to  do  right. 
If  his  father  told  him  to  do  any  thing,  he  did 
it.  If  he  was  told  not  to  speak  of  any  thing 
which  he  heard,  he  never  spoke  of  it.  If  he 
was  sent  with  any  message,  he  took  care  to 
say  nothing  but  what  he  was  told  to  say,  and 


40  JAMES    BUDGE    JONES. 

he  was  never  known  by  his  father  to  tell  one 
lie.  The  longer  he  lived  the  more  he  loved 
God :  and  at  last  he  had  such  joy  in  God  as 
very  few  older  Christians  have  ;  which  made 
•him  say  to  his  parents,  "  I  am  so  happy,  I 
know  not  what  to  do  ;  God  has  done  so  much 
for  me :  the  day  of  my  death  will  be  happier 
than  the  day  of  my  birth :  God  loves  me  and 
has  pardoned  all  my  sins  :  who  would  have 
thought  that  God  would  be  so  kind  to  such  a 
little  boy  as  I  am  !  I  am  happy,  I  am  very 
happy  !"  And  so  he  passed  away  into  glory 
lo  be  with  Jesus  Christ,  in  whom  he  trusted, 
when  he  was  only  nine  years  and  nine  days 
old. 


LITTLE    NANNDTTE.  41 


LITTLE   NANNETTE.* 


Little  Nannette  was  only  three  years  old 
when  she  loved  to  think  of  God,  and  to  hear 
of  Jesus  Christ.  As  she  walked  by  her  mo 
ther's  side  she  used  to  say,  "  God  made  those 
flowers  and  trees  ;"  and  when  she  looked  up 
to  the  stars  in  the  sky  and  to  the  bright  moon, 
she  used  to  say,  "  God  made  them."  When 
she  heard  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  died 
upon  the  cross  to  save  us  from  hell,  she  said 
to  her  mother,  "  I  will  love  him  and  try  to 
serve  him."  Perhaps  it  was  this  wish  that 
made  her  pray ;  for  before  she  was  four  years 
old  she  often  left  her  play  in  the  house  or  in 
the  garden  that  she  might  kneel  down  and 
pray.  And  though  at  first  she  could  not  say 
much,  she  soon  learned  to  pray  about  every 
thing ;  and  thought  that  God  would  give  her, 

*  She  died  July  9,  1819. 


42  LITTLE    NANNETTE. 

for  Christ's  sake,  all  that  she  asked  for,  if  it 
was  good  for  her.  And  so  he  will  to  every 
little  child  who  prays,  for  Jesus  has  said,  "  If 
ye  shall  ask  any  thing  in  my  name,  I  will  do 
it."  Nothing  pleased  her  so  much  as  to  hear 
her  mother  tell  her  about  God ;  and  when  they 
were  quite  alone  she  used  to  say,  "  Come  now. 
mamma,  we  shall  be  so  happy,  and  talk  of 
God."  And  when  others  did  not  talk  of  him, 
she  loved  to  think  of  him,  and  often  said,  when 
any  thing  made  her  happy  or  pleased  her, 
"  O  how  good  the  Lord  is." 

Like  other  pious  children,  she  was  very 
fond  of  her  parents.  When  her  father  was 
away  she  counted  the  hours  till  he  would  come 
back;  and  if  he  stayed  away  beyond  her  bed- 
thne,  she  sometimes  left  a  httle  letter  to  be 
given  to  him.  When  her  mother  went  from 
home,  Nannette  always  said,  "  Good  bye, 
mamma,  God  bless  you  and  take  care  of  you, 
and  bring  you  safe  home."  When  her  mother 
was  gone  she  often  prayed  that  God  would 
bring  her  back  soon,  and  when  her  mother 
came  home,  she  was  almost  always  watching 
for  her.  Once  her  mother  was  very  ill,  and 
little  Nannette  could  not  see  her  very  often. 


LITTLE    NANNETTE.  43 

This  she  was  very  sorry  for,  yet  when  she 
did  come  into  her  mother's  room,  and  was  put 
upon  her  bed,  and  had  given  her  many  kisses, 
and  wished  so  much  to  stay,  still  she  said,  "  I 
had  better  go  now,  mamma,  I  am  afraid  of 
tiring  you."  As  she  was  so  good  a  child, 
through  the  grace  of  God,  this  made  her  hap- 
py. She  loved  to  jump,  and  run,  and  play, 
and  cUmb  with  her  brother ;  and  often  she 
made  her  father  put  her  in  the  cherry  tree, 
where  she  loved  to  sit  like  a  little  squirrel, 
perched  among  the  boughs.  Yet  though  God 
made  her  so  happy,  she  could  feel  for  others. 
When  it  rained,  or  when  it  was  cold,  she  used 
to  grieve  to  think  how  many  had  not  got  a 
nice  warm  home  as  she  had ;  and  if  she  saw 
any  child  half  naked,  she  would  take  some  of 
her  clothes  to  her  mother,  and  beg  that  she 
might  give  them  to  the  poor  child.  God  loves 
us  to  feel  for  the  poor,  and  to  give  them  what 
we  can  spare,  instead  of  wasting  it  on  toys 
and  trash. 

Before  she  was  four  years  old,  she  began 
to  pray  daily  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  as  well 
as  morning  and  night ;  and  from  the  age  of 
three  she  always  wished  to  have  a  psalm  read, 


^  LITTLE    NANNETTE. 

or  a  hymn  sung  to  her,  after  she  was  in  bed. 
Before  she  was  five,  she  had  the  measles,  and 
they  left  her  weak  and  thin,  so  that  she  could 
not  jump  and  play  as  she  did  before.  Six 
months  after  this  came  the  whooping-cough, 
and  that  made  her  much  worse, — but  she  still 
grew  in  grace.  How  sweet  it  must  have  been 
to  her  mother  to  hear  her  say,  "  You  know, 
mamma,  it  is  the  will  of  God :  we  can't  help 
it,  and  must  bear  it  as  well  as  we  can."  She 
did  not  like  medicine,  but  she  prayed  God  to 
help  her  to  take  it  like  a  good  child,  and  to 
bless  it  to  her,  and  then  she  took  it. 

She  had  now  lost  all  her  strength,  and 
could  not  play  or  laugh  as  she  once  had  done ; 
her  brother  could  not  amuse  her  now,  nor 
could  her  playthings  :  yet  she  was  happy,  be- 
cause she  loved  to  pray  and  read  the  Bible, 
and  sing  hymns,  more  than  she  had  ever  loved 
her  p]  ay-things  or  her  games.  When  she 
sung  any  hymn  she  often  put  words  of  her  own, 
besides  those  which  were  in  the  hymn.  One 
day  the  curtain  was  drawn  between  her  and 
her  mother,  so  that  her  mother  could  write 
down  what  she  sung  without  being  seen.  In 
a  sweet,  loud  voice  this  dear  child  then  sung 


LITTLE    NANNETTE.  45 

thus  her  own  thoughts  of  praise,  "  Serve  the 
Lord,  all  ye  people  :  praise  him  for  the  Sa- 
viour :  you  v^'ould  have  gone  to  hell  if  he  had 
not  died  for  you  on  the  cross.  O,  Jesus — O, 
Jesus,  come  for  me,  bless,  and  take  me.  O, 
Jesus,  my  Lord,  let  me  to  thy  bosom  fly.  It 
would  be  the  happiest  place  I  could  be  in,  to 
praise  the  Lord  for  ever.  O,  my  Saviour, 
come  and  take  me  to  thy  dwelling  !  O  thou 
who  canst  save  every  one  from  sin  who 
cleaves  to  thee  !" 

Often,  too,  she  said  to  her  mother,  "  How 
I  long  to  see  God!  O,  if  I  could  see  Jesus 
Christ,  for  I  feel  to  love  him  very  much,  the 
way  I  love  you,  mamma.  Do  you  think  he 
will  let  me  lay  my  head  in  his  bosom,  the  way 
I  sit  with  you  ?"  Often  she  wished  to  die, 
that  she  might  be  with  him.  And  when  her 
father  said,  "  Should  you  like  to  leave  mamma 
and  me  to  go  ?"  she  burst  into  tears  at  the 
thought  of  leaving  them,  but  still  she  said, 
"  Yes."  She  loved  her  father  so  much,  that 
she  could  not  bear  him  to  be  long  away.  If 
her  mother  was  away  from  her  for  a  few  min- 
utes, she  wished  her  to  come  back  ;  if  the  cur- 
tain  hid  her,  she  wished  her  to  come  round 


46  LITTLE    NANNETTE. 

to  the  Other  side  of  the  bed,  that  she  might 
always  see  her ;  she  loved  to  hold  her  mother's 
hands,  and  to  kiss  them ;  yet  when  they  asked 
her  whether  she  was  willing  to  go  to  Jesus, 
she  said,  "  Yes."  She  loved  her  parents  and 
her  home  on  earth  much,  but  she  loved  the 
Saviour  and  her  home  in  heaven  more.  Hea- 
ven is  happier  than  earth.  She  was  very 
fond  of  hymns,  and  said  them  over  and  over 
to  herself  whilst  she  was  at  her  play  or  at 
work.  Often  her  mother  saw  her,  when  she 
did  not  know  that  any  one  was  looking  at  her, 
lift  up  her  eyes  to  heaven,  and  sing  in  her 
own  words,  "  O,  Lord,  my  God,  my  Father." 
Often,  too,  when  she  was  too  weak  to  kneel, 
she  sat  in  her  mother's  lap,  and  prayed  for 
herself,  for  her  brother,  for  her  family,  and 
for  the  heathen.  She  was  a  very  little  girl, 
and  her  prayers  were  very  simple ;  but  God 
loves  to  hear  even  little  children  pray.  Some 
of  her  words  which  her  mother  wrote  down 
were  these, — "  O,  Lord,  my  God,  my  Father, 
I  am  not  good  enough  to  call  thee  Father,  yet 
thou  wilt  make  me  complete  in  Christ  Jesus, 
and  hast  a  crown  for  me.  O  my  God,  bless 
my  brothers ;    may  they  h^e  crowns :    let 


LITTLE    NANNETTE.  47 

there  be  a  crown  for  my  mother.  O  my  God, 
thou  art  a  long  suffering  God.  Make  me  meek 
and  holy  like  the  gentle  Lamb  of  God  in 
heaven." 

While  she  was  so  ill,  her  little  brother  Pen- 
dock,  whom  she  dearly  loved,  caught  the 
whooping-cough,  and  died.  Nannette  was 
asleep  when  he  died.  As  soon  as  she  woke 
she  said,  "  Mamma,  Penny  is  not  here."  "No, 
love."  Then  she  added,  "  Penny  is  taking  a 
long  sleep."  "  A  very  long  one,  my  love." 
At  length  she  said,  "  May  be  he  is  gone  to 
heaven."  She  was  then  told  that  he  was  gone 
there.  His  spirit  was  gone  to  be  with  Christy 
but  his  little  body  lay  cold  and  stiff  on  the  bed 
where  he  used  to  sleep.  Nannette  wished  to 
see  him,  and  when  she  saw  his  sweet  little 
face  among  the  flowers  which  were  strewn 
over  him,  she  only  smiled.  Why  did  she 
smile  ?  She  had  said  to  her  mother  before, 
"  We  shall  all  soon  follow  him,"  and  I  think 
she  smiled  because  she  hoped  soon  to  be  with 
him  in  heaven.  That  night  she  told  her  mo- 
ther, she  was  twice  going  to  be  sorry  for  him, 
but  that  she  would  not  let  herself 

It  was  not  long  before  she  followed  him  as 


48  LITTLE    NANNETTE. 

she  had  said.  Every  day  she  grew  more  thin 
and  weak,  and  her  mother  told  her  she  would 
soon  be  in  heaven.  It  did  not  make  her  sad 
to  think  that  she  must  die  ;  but  she  said,  "  O, 
I  am  glad  of  it,  there  is  no  more  pain  or  sor- 
row there."  In  that  blessed  place  she  now  is, 
with  Jesus  Christ,  and  with  other  pious  chil- 
dren who  loved  him  as  she  did  :  and  we  must 
get  ready  to  go  there  too.  She  was  only  five 
years  and  five  months  old  when  she  died. 
And  if  you  dear  children,  are  older  than  that, 
you  ought  to  know  the  Saviour  better  than  she 
did,  and  to  love  him  better. 


XilTTLE    ELIZABETH.  40 


LITTLE  ELIZABETH,* 


Elizabeth  was  a  little  girl  who  was  very 
fond  of  knowledge.  When  she  was  only  five 
years  old  she  had  a  chilblain  so  bad  that  she 
could  not  put  her  foot  to  the  ground,  and  was 
forced  to  sit  on  the  sofa  nearly  all  day  long  ; 
but  she  was  able  to  please  herself  with  her 
little  books  all  the  day.  Her  aunt,  who  then 
saw  her,  could  not  but  love  her  for  being  so 
patient,  and  so  good  tempered.  The  next 
year,  when  her  aunt  was  again  staying  in  the 
house,  she  came  almost  every  day  into  her 
room  with  the  Bible,  to  read  some  chapters  to 
her  ;  and  when  her  aunt  said,  "  You  are  very 
fond  of  your  Bible,"  she  pressed  it  to  her  bo- 
som, and  said,  "My  dear,  dear  Bible ;  how  I 
love  you !"     She  loved  other  books  well ;  but 

*  She  was  bom  September  16,  1814  and  died  April  2^ 
1823. 

5 


50  LITTLE    ELIZABETH. 

she  loved  the  word  of  God  best  of  all.  One 
day,  she  and  her  sister  being  left  with  another 
aunt  who  was  sick,  they  did  all  that  they 
could  to  amuse  her.  At  length  Bessy  went 
for  a  book,  and  came  back  saying,  "  Now  I 
think  I  shall  amuse  you ;  indeed  I  am  sure  I 
shall.  This  is  such  a  pretty  book  !"  Little 
children  should  always  try  in  this  way  to 
please  others,  and  not  think  too  much  about 
themselves.  Though  she  was  very  young, 
yet  she  showed,  in  many  ways,  that  God  had 
given  her  a  new  heart.  It  was  her  delight  to 
talk  of  heaven.  One  day  she  came  to  her 
mother,  and  said,  "  Oh,  mamma  !  only  think 
what  Louisa  says  !  She  would  not  wish  to 
be  in  heaven,  because  there  are  no  dolls 
there  !"  "  And  what  did  you  say  to  her  ?"  "  I 
told  her,  mamma,  that  we  should  want  no  doll, 
nor  any  thing  else  in  heaven  ;  for  we  should 
be  always  praising  God  there."  She  could 
not  bear  that  any  one  should  break  the  Sab- 
bath ;  and  when  she  saw,  one  Sunday,  the 
boys  of  the  village  sliding  on  the  ice,  she  said 
to  her  mother,  "  Oh,  what  a  shame  it  is  f(>i 
those  boys  to  play  and  idle  on  the  Sabbatn 
instead  of  reading  their  Bibles  !"     She  her- 


LITTLE    ELIZABETH.  51 

self  loved  the  Sabbath,  and  she  loved  to  go 
to  ihe  house  of  God.  As  she  could  not  bear 
to  see  the  Sabbath  broken,  so  she  did  not  like 
the  name  of  God  to  be  taken  in  vain.  She 
had  a  little  French  book,  with  pretty  stories, 
of  which  she  was  very  fond ;  but  the  name 
of  God  was  sometimes  used  lightly  in  it, 
which  made  her  so  angry,  that  she  brought  a 
pen  and  ink  to  her  mother,  that  she  might  blot 
out  the  places  where  it  was  so  used,  and  said, 
"  I  am  sure  it  was  not  a  good  man  who  wrote 
this  book  ;  a  believer  in  Jesus  would  not  have 
done  so." 

For  so  young  a  child  she  read  a  great  deal, 
and  among  other  things,  she  read  about  the 
Fafjuirs  in  India.  These  are  heathens,  who 
do  not  know  God,  and  who  to  please,  as  they 
think,  their  wicked  gods,  cover  themselves 
willi  dirt ;  or  stand  on  one  leg  for  two  or 
three  years  ;  or  hold  up  their  arm  till  it  grows 
stif]',  so  that  they  cannot  put  it  down  again  ; 
or  sit  in  the  blazing  sun  between  hot  fires. 
Wiien  she  read  of  these  Faquirs  she  used  to 
say,  that  if  they  knew  any  thing  of  the  Gos- 
pel they  would  not  do  so,  for  it  could  never  do 
them  any  good.     If  ever  she  read  of  any  per- 


52  LITTLE    ELIZABETH. 

son  in  a  book,  she  used  to  say,  "  Mamma,  was 
he  a  good  man  ?  Did  he  beheve  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  ?"  This  it  was  her  own  chief 
desire  to  do.  One  day,  she  said  to  her  mo- 
ther, "  How  I  wish  to  love  God  more,  and  to 
pray  to  him  more  !  but  my  own  wricked  heart 
and  the  devil  won't  let  me."  Though  she  said 
the  devil  would  not  let  her  be  good,  she  knew 
that  the  power  of  Satan  is  no  excuse  for  our 
being  wicked  ;  for  she  added,  "  You  know, 
mamma,  if  our  hearts  were  not  evil  we 
should  never  mind  the  devil ;  he  could  not 
succeed  against  us."  The  devil  cannot  make 
us  wicked  ;  he  can  only  tempt  us  to  do  evil ; 
so  that  we  ought  not  to  give  way  to  him. 
And  Bessy  did  not  give  way  to  him;  for 
though  she  mourned  that  she  could  not  pray 
as  she  ought,  yet  she  prayed  much  more  than 
many  little  girls.  Often  she  went  to  pray 
alone,  and  sometimes  she  took  with  her  her 
little  sister  that  they  might  pray  together.  At 
these  times,  as  she  told  her  mother,  she  pray- 
ed in  secret  that  God  would  give  her  a  new 
heart,  and  would  make  her  a  good  girl :  and 
always  she  prayed  in  the  name  of  Christ,  be- 
cause, as  she  said,  her  prayers  could  only  be 


LITTLE    ELIZABETH.  63 

heard  through  him.  But  why  did  this  Httle 
girl,  who  prayed  so  much  more  than  others  of 
her  own  age,  mourn  that  she  did  not  pray 
enough  ?  It  is  because  the  best  people  are 
always  the  most  humble ;  and  the  more  they 
love  and  serve  God,  the  more  they  know  that 
he  ought  to  be  loved  and  served  much 
better. 

As  little  Bessy  was  humble,  so  she  was 
very  kind.  When  her  mother  was  ill  in  bed 
in  winter,  and  the  room  was  cold,  she  used  to 
leave  her  play-fellows  in  the  warm  room,  and 
creep  up  softly  to  the  bed-side,  with  the  Bible 
in  her  hand,  and  say,  "  Mamma,  will  you  let 
me  stay  with  you  ?  Can  I  do  any  thing  for 
you  ?  Shall  I  read  you  a  chapter  in  the  Bi- 
ble V  There  are  many  little  children  who 
would  much  rather  play  in  the  warm  room, 
than  read  the  Bible  to  their  sick  parent  in  the 
cold  one  :  but  God  had  made  little  Bessy  his 
own  child. 

She  was  very  fond  of  reading,  and  read  a 
great  deal  for  her  age,  both  English  and 
French ;  but  what  she  liked  to  read  best  was 
the  account  of  our  Saviour's  sufferings :  these 
often  made  her  cry ;  and,  as  she  loved  our 
5* 


64  LITTLE    ELIZABETH. 

Saviour  for  his  kindness  when  she  was  on 
earth,  how  much  better  she  loves  him  now 
she  is  with  him  in  heaven!  Though  she  at 
first  feared  the  dark,  yet,  as  she  knew  God 
was  m  the  dark  as  well  as  in  the  light,  she 
lost  all  her  fear,  and  said  one  day  to  her  mo- 
ther, "  How  foolish  it  is  of  Louisa  to  mind 
being  in  the  dark  !  I  never  mind  it  now. 
Sure  God  can  watch  over  us,  whether  it  is 
light  or  not." 

Once,  like  other  children,  she  and  her  sister 
had  a  little  quarrel ;  but  she  put  an  end  to  it 
by  saying  to  her  sister,  "  You  know  that  we 
ought  to  love  as  brethren."  God  has  said 
this  in  his  word ;  and  she  wished  to  do  as 
God  had  said  she  ought. 

Once  also  she  and  her  little  sister  had  done 
something  which  was  wrong  ;  but  when  her 
mother  told  her  how  wrong  it  was,  she  was 
not  sullen  about  it.  She  did  not  say,  I  do 
not  care  about  being  punished  ;  nor  did  she 
deny  that  she  had  done  wrong ;  but  she  was 
sorry  for  her  fault,  and  said  to  her  mother, 
"Dear  mamma,  we  are  like  the  rebellious 
children  of  Israel,  who  did  evil  again  in  the 
sight  of  the  Lord."     How  sweet  it  is  to  see 


LITTLE    ELIZABETH.  55 

little  children  sorry  for  their  faults,  and  to 
hear  them  meekly  confess  that  they  have 
done  wrong ! 

As  she  took  pains  not  to  grieve  her  mother 
by  being  naughty,  so  she  loved  to  comfort 
her  when  she  saw  her  grieved  by  any  thing 
else.  If  ever  she  saw  her  mother  weep,  she 
began  to  weep  too,  and  would  put  her  little 
arms  round  her  neck,  and  tell  her  not  to  cry. 

But  though  this  dear  little  girl  was  so  good 
and  so  kind,  yet,  like  some  other  good  little 
children,  she  was  very  soon  taken  away  from 
her  paj'ents,  who  loved  her  so  fondly.  It 
pleased  God,  who  is  good,  and  who  knows 
what  is  best,  to  let  her  die  when  she  was  very 
young.  She  was  a  strong  and  healthy  little 
girl ;  but  first  she  had  the  measles,  and,  when 
she  was  well  again,  then  she  caught  the 
whooping-cough,  and  of  that  she  died.  A 
little  girl  may  be  playing  one  day,  with  a  rosy 
cheek  and  bright  eyes,  laughing  and  running 
over  the  whole  house,  and,  in  a  week  from 
that  time  may  be  cold,  and  stiff,  and  dead. 
I  have  known  some  children  die  so ;  but  if 
children  trust  in  Jesus,  and  love  him,  and  try 
to  do  his  will,  they  will  go  to  be  with  him 


56  LITTLE    ELIZABETH. 

when  they  die ;  and  so,  I  doubt  not,  Httle 
Bessy  did. 

When  she  was  ill  she  wished  her  father, 
who  was  very  dear  to  her,  to  stay  with  her 
always  ;  but  when  night  came  she  did  not 
like  him  to  sit  up  with  her,  lest  he  should  be 
tired.  So  she  begged  him  to  go  to  his  own 
bed  ;  and  when  he  would  not  go,  because  his 
dear  little  child  was  so  ill,  then  she  made  him 
lie  down  at  the  foot  of  her  bed  ;  for  she  w^ould 
not  have  him  tire  himself  by  sitting  up  all 
night.  When  the  day  came,  and  she  was 
very  ill,  and  in  great  pain,  she  took  her  fa- 
ther's hand  and  kissed  it,  and  would  not  let  it 
go  ;  and  when  he  spoke  to  her  about  the  pain 
which  Jesus  had  borne  for  us,  it  made  her 
very  quiet ;  and,  though  there  were  drops  of 
sweat  upon  her  face,  she  only  said,  "  My  dear 
Saviour  sweated  great  drops  of  blood  !" 

As  her  father  at  this  time  thought  that  she 
might  die,  he  wished  to  hear  her  say  how  she 
hoped  to  be  saved ;  and  this  made  him  ask 
her  some  questions,  to  which  she  gave  the 
following  answers : 

"  Why  ought  we  to  love  God  ?" 


LITTLE    ELIZABETH.  57 

"  Because  he  is  a  Father  to  us,  and  sent  his 
Son  into  the  world." 

"Why  did  he  send  his  Son  into  the  world  ?'* 

*'To  save  sinners." 

"  How  did  he  save  them  ?" 

"By  dying  as  a  sacrifice  for  them." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  his  dying  as  a  sa- 
crifice?" 

"He  was  s^ain  in  the  room  of  those  who 
deserve  to  be  punished." 

"  Why  was  it  necessary  that  he  should  die 
for  us?" 

"Because  of  the  fall,  papa." 

"How  do  we  receive  salvation?" 

"  Through  faith." 

"  When  do  we  obtain  faith  ?" 

"  When  we  are  born  again  by  the  Spirit." 

Her  father  was  glad  to  see  that  she  knew 
so  well  the  way  in  which  sinners  are  saved ; 
and  he  was  now  going  to  stop,  for  it  was  in 
the  middle  of  the  night,  and  he  would  not  tire 
her.  But  she  would  not  let  him  stop,  begging 
him  to  tell  her  more  about  Christ ;  and  when 
he  was  going  again  to  stop,  she  said,  "  Go  on, 
dear  papa !  go  on !"  nor  would  she  lei  hiin 
cease  till  she  was  quite  tired,  and  fell  into  a 


58  LITTLE    ELIZABETH. 

short  sleep.  Did  she  not  seem  getting  ready 
to  go  into  that  world  where  they  see  the  Sa- 
viour face  to  face,  and  are  never  tired  of  lov- 
ing and  praising  him  ? 

All  through  her  illness  she  loved  her  father 
to  read  to  her  the  Bible,  and  to  talk  to  her 
about  it.  Her  knowledge  of  it  was  very 
great.  She  had  learned  by  heart  the  whole 
of  the  four  Gospels,  and  had  ^said  three  of 
them  twice  over.  She  had  translated  to  her 
mother  the  whole  of  the  book  of  Psalms  in 
French,  had  learned  many  of  them  by  heart, 
and  had  read  much  of  the  French  Bible  be- 
sides. She  had  also  read  over  many  other 
good  books. 

While  she  was  so  fond  of  reading  the  Bi- 
ble, and  learning  it,  she  wanted  to  learn  every 
thing  else.  She  knew  something  about  plants 
and  flowers,  and  used  often  to  talk  about  them 
to  the  gardener,  who  said,  after  her  death,  "  I 
wonder  my  master  and  mistress  ever  expect- 
ed Miss  Bessy  to  live.  She  was  too  wonder- 
ful a  child.  I  learned  more  from  her  when 
she  has  been  walking  in  the  garden,  on  all 
subjects,  than  I  ever  did  from  any  one  else  in 
my  hfe."     But  the  gardener  was  not  wise  to 


LITTLE    ELIZABETH.  59 

say  that  this  made  it  hkely  she  would  die  ; 
because  good  and  wise  children  are  just  as 
likely  to  live,  when  they  are  healthy  and 
strong,  as  any  others  ;  and  any  child  may  die 
of  the  whooping-cough.  God  was  pleased  to 
take  little  Bessy  away,  or  she  might  have  been 
alive  at  this  day. 

Besides  reading  and  asking  about  flowers, 
she  was  also  fond  of  learning  about  birds  and 
insects,  and  often  came  with  stories  about 
them  to  her  papa,  who  loved  to  hear  them. 
Thus  she  liked  to  read  about  many  things. 
But,  whatever  she  read  about,  it  was  a  plea- 
sure to  teach  her,  because  she. was  so  thank- 
ful and  kind.  One  day  her  mother,  who  was 
weak,  was  bending  over  a  large  map,  to  shov/ 
her  the  places,  when  she  said,  "  Dear  mamma, 
I  know  every  place  quite  well,  you  need  not 
bend  over  these  large  maps  :  I  will  point  out 
every  spot  with  my  finger."  Who  would  not 
love  to  teach  any  lesson  to  such  a  child  ? 

When  she  was  ill  she  read  the  life  of  little 
Nannette,  and  said,  "  Papa,  what  a  good  child 
little  Nannette  was  !  How  well  she  ascd  to 
take  her  medicine !"  How  glad  her  papa 
must  have  been  w4icu  he  heard  her  praise 


60  LITTLE    ELIZABETH. 

Nannette,  to  see  her  just  as  pious  and  just  as 
patient !  All  through  her  illness  she  never 
murmured  and  was  never  cross  ;  but  wher. 
she  was  in  great  pain  she  would  begin  to 
pray,  or  ask  her  father  to  pray  for  her  ;  and 
this  helped  her  to  bear  it.  As  long  as  she 
could  she  took  her  bitter  medicines  as  well  as 
Nannette  did  ;  and  when,  at  last,  she  could 
scarcely  swallow  any  thing,  she  would  meek- 
ly say,  "Really,  dear  papa,  I  would  take  it  if 
I  could ;  but  I  can  take  nothing  now."  Not 
being  able  to  eat  any  thing,  with  a  dreadful 
cough,  she  grew  worse  and  worse.  Her  pa- 
rents could  only  pity  her,  and  pray  for  her. 
At  length  the  last  hour  came.  The  dreadful 
cough  tore  her  poor  chest:  she  could  not 
speak.  All  she  could  do,  while  her  father  in 
agony  of  heart,  kissed  her  dear  lips  again  and 
again,  was  to  falter  out  faintly,  "  Papa,  mam- 
ma." These  were  the  last  words  she  spoke, 
and  then  their  darling  child  lay  still  in  death. 

Eight  years  and  seven  months  were  all  that 
she  had  lived  with  her  parents  upon  earth ; 
but  she  will  live  for  ever  and  ever  with  them 
in  heaven,  and  this  cheered  them  in  their  loss. 

As  they  stood  over  her  coffin,  and  saw  her 


LITTLE    ELIZABETH.  61 

sweet  face  among  the  flowers  which  were 
put  around  it ;  so  pale,  so  cold,  so  still,  they 
could  think,  "  She  will  rise  again  to  die  no 
more ;  she  will  never  suffer  any  more  pain ; 
she  is  with  the  Redeemer  ;  we  shall  soon  see 
her  again  :"  and  this  thought  could  make  them 
bless  God  in  their  sorrow.  Should  your  pious 
parents,  my  dear  children,  ever  see  you  put 
into  the  coffin,  will  they  be  able  to  bless  God 
for  your  happiness  in  heaven  ?  O,  if  you  ever 
made  a  prayer  in  your  lives,  go  now  and 
pray  earnestly  to  God  that  he  will  prepare 
you  for  heaven,  as  he  prepared  little  Bessy  ; 
that  you  may  love  him  as  she  loved  him  ;  and 
be  to  your  parents  as  great  a  joy  as  she  was 
to  her's. 


6 


62  PHCEBE    BARTLETT. 


PHGEBE  BARTLETT.^ 


When  Phoebe  Bartlett  was  about  four  years 
old,  her  brother,  who  was  a  pious  boy,  seven 
years  older  than  her,  talked  to  her  about  be- 
ing saved.  This  made  little  Phoebe  pray 
very  much  to  God  to  save  her.  Some  other 
little  children  say  a  short  prayer  with  their 
lips  every  morning  and  every  night ;  but  she 
prayed  from  her  heart,  alone  in  her  room, 
three  times  a  day.  She  so  much  wished  God 
to  save  her,  that  she  could  not  help  praying. 
One  day  her  mother  heard  her  pray  very  loud 
in  her  room :  she  could  not  help  praying  loud, 
because  she  was  so  much  afraid  that  she  would 
not  be  saved.  This  was  her  prayer :  "  Pray, 
blessed  Lord,  give  me  salvation  I  pray,  beg, 
pardon  all  my  sins."     When  she  came  out  of 

*  Of  Northampton,  Massachusetts,  was  bora  Maix-h,  1731, 
and  lived  till  March  30,  1789.  ., 


PHCEBE    BARTLETT.  68 

the  room  she  still  was  crying,  because  she 
was  afraid  she  should  go  to  hell.  Her  mo- 
ther tried  to  comfort  her :  but  she  could  not. 
She  then  went  back  again  to  her  room  to 
pray,  and  there  asked  God  very  often  to  save 
her.  At  length  when  her  mother,  who  had 
been  called  away  from  home,  came  back, 
Phoebe  met  her  with  a  happy  smile,  and  said, 
**  I  can  find  God  now."  "  I  love  God  better 
than  any  thing."  "  I  was  afraid  of  going  to 
hell,  but  now  I  shall  not."  She  now  began  to 
wish  very  much  that  her  sisters  might  be  saved. 
When  her  mother  was  telling  Abigail  to  prepare 
to  die,  Phoebe  began  to  cry,  and  said,  "  Poor 
Nabby."  Then  when  she  saw  Eunice  and 
Naomi,  she  could  not  help  crying  again,  and 
said,  "  Poor  Eunice,  poor  Ami."  And  when 
she  was  asked  why  she  cried,  she  said,  "  She 
was  afraid  they  would  go  to  hell."  The  next 
three  days  she  also  sought  God  with  all  her 
heart ;  but  tried  to  hide  from  every  one  the 
tears  which  often  ran  down  her  cheeks. 

From  that  time  she  lived  like  a  child  of 
God.  She  sat  still  at  family  prayers,  and  lis- 
tened to  what  was  read ;  she  took  delight  in 
hearing  others  speak  about  God ;    and  she 


64  PHCEBE    BARTLETT. 

loved  the  Sabbath-day,  because  then  she 
went  to  hear  her  minister  preach.  She  had 
also  a  great  dread  of  sin ;  she  wished  to  see 
others  saved  ;  she  was  kind  to  the  poor  ;  she 
loved  to  pray  by  herself;  and  though  some- 
times she  was  afraid  of  not  being  saved,  she 
had  at  other  times  much  hope  and  much 
peace. 

One  day  she  went  with  her  sisters  to  a 
plumb-tree  in  an  orchard,  and  took  some 
plumbs,  not  knowing  that  she  ought  not: 
when  she  brought  them  into  the  house,  her 
mother  told  her  that  to  take  the  plumbs  of 
another  person,  without  leave,  was  sin,  and 
that  God  had  said  she  must  not  steal,  she 
cried  out  with  tears,  "I  won't  have  these 
plumbs."  Then  she  said  to  her  sister  Eunice, 
"  Why  did  you  ask  me  to  go  to  that  plumb- 
tree  ?  I  should  not  have  gone  if  you  had  not 
asked  me."  The  other  children  did  not  seem 
to  care  much  about  the  sin,  but  she  went  on 
crying  about  it,  and  said  she  would  not  go 
again  if  Eunice  asked  her  a  hundred  times. 
After  which,  for  some  time,  she  could  not 
bear  that  fruit,  though  she  had  liked  it  before. 

Sometimes  she  talked  to  her  sisters  about 


PHCEBE    BARTLETT.  65 

God  ;  and  one  day  she  said  to  her  mother, 
that  she  liad  been  telhng  Nabby  and  Eunice 
they  must  pray  and  prepare  to  die  ;  that  they 
had  but  a  little  while  to  live,  and  that  they 
must  be  always  ready.  Soon  after,  her  mo- 
ther asked  Abigail  whether  she  had  said 
that  to  them  ;  and  Abigail  told  her  that  she 
said  that,  and  a  great  deal  more.  Another 
day  she  begged  her  mother  very  much  to  go 
and  pray  with  Naomi. 

Once  when  she  heard  that  a  poor  man  had 
lost  a  cow,  she  ran  to  her  father  and  begged 
him  to  give  the  man  a  cow  ;  and  when  her 
father  said  that  they  could  not  spare  one,  she 
begged  that  the  poor  man  might  come  and 
Uve  at  their  house.  From  that  time  this  little 
girl  showed  by  her  words  and  acts  that  she 
was  a  child  of  God,  and  lived  to  love  and 
serve  him  above  fifty  years  before  she  died. 


66  JOHN    MOONEY    MEAD. 


JOHN  MOONEY  MEAD.* 


John  Mooney  Mead,  like  other  little  boys, 
soon  showed  that  his  heart  was  wicked,  and 
that  he  needed  the  grace  of  God,  for  when  he 
was  a  httle  more  than  a  year  old  he  would 
not  obey  his  father.  His  father  was  very 
sorry  to  hurt  him,  because  he  loved  him  very 
much ;  but  he  would  not  let  him  do  wrong ; 
and  therefore  he  whipped  him.  Still  John 
would  not  obey.  This  made  his  father  whip 
him  again.  At  last  he  did  obey.  Then  he 
put  his  little  arms  round  his  father's  neck,  and 
gave  him  a  kiss ;  and  ever  after  loved  him 
better  than  he  did  before.  Sometimes,  if  he 
did  not  obey  his  parents,  they  would  not  pray 
with  him  at  night.      This   made   him   very 

*  He  was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Mead,  of  East  Hart- 
ford, Nortli  America;  was  bom  May  4,  1826,  and  died 
April  8.  1831. 


JOHN    MOONEY    MEAD.  67 

sorry :  he  would  beg  them  to  pray  for  him ; 
and  if  they  did  not  forgive  him,  he  would 
weep  and  sob  in  his  little  bed,  and  beg  God 
to  pardon  him,  and  to  make  him  a  good  boy. 
When  he  was  three  and  a  half  years  old, 
he  began  to  read  the  Bible  ;  and  would  not 
pass  over  a  word  which  he  did  not  know  with- 
out asking  what  it  meant.  When  he  heard 
any  older  persons  talking,  he  loved  to  hear 
what  they  said,  and  asked  them  many  ques- 
tions. When  he  went  any  where  he  asked 
his  father  to  tell  him  about  all  that  he  saw. 
And  he  made  his  father  take  him  to  see  in 
what  way  many  things  are  made.  One  day 
he  went  to  see  how  chairs  and  tables  were 
made  ;  then  he  went  to  see  the  wheelwright 
make  wheels ;  then  he  saw  one  man  make 
shoes,  and  another  make  a  hat,  and  another 
grind  the  flour  which  makes  our  bread,  and 
another  make  the  paper  on  which  we  write. 
Many  little  children  do  not  ask  their  parents 
any  thing  about  shoes,  and  hats,  and  flour,  and 
paper,  but  John  liked  to  see  and  learn  all  that 
he  could,  and  this  made  him  know  a  great 
deal  more  than  many  other  little  boys.  Once 
his  father  left  him  alone  in  a  shop.     Some 


68  JOHN    MOONEY    MEAD. 

children  would  have  cried  to  have  been  left 
alone  ;  but  he  did  much  better :  as  he  saw  a 
door  shut  by  itself,  he  asked  the  person  who 
was  in  the  shop  how  it  could  do  so ;  and  when 
his  father  came  back  he  found  him  looking  at 
a  weight  which  hung  over  a  wheel,  and  thus 
pulled  the  door  till  it  was  shut. 

Though  he  was  so  young,  and  died  before 
he  was  live  years  old,  yet  he  learned  a  great 
deal  of  the  Bible.  At  first  he  began  with  two 
verses  every  day ;  but  when  he  could  read 
better,  he  learned  seven  verses  every  day :  so 
that  before  he  was  taken  ill  he  had  learned 
the  first  thirteen  chapters  of  St.  John,  and 
twenty-eight  verses  of  the  fourteenth  chapter. 

Yet  few  boys  are  so  lively,  active,  and 
happy  as  he  was.  He  loved  to  play ;  and 
when  his  father  would  play  with  him,  his 
merry  laugh  would  be  heard  over  the  whole 
house.  If  ever  he  was  angry,  he  was  soon  in 
a  good  temper.  If  he  could  not  have  what 
he  wished,  he  did  not  fret  about  it ;  and  if  any 
one  was  unkind  to  him  he  never  showed  any 
malice.  He  loved  his  parents  and  his  sisters 
fondly,  and  when  they  came  back  after  going 
from  home,  he  ran  eagerly  to  kiss  them.     He 


JOHN    MOONEY    MEAD.  69 

tried  to  please  his  parents  in  all  things.  If 
they  were  angry,  he  could  not  be  happy  till 
he  saw  them  smile  ;  and  if  they  were  ill,  he 
loved  to  sit  beside  them,  and  to  do  for  them 
all  that  he  could.  To  his  sisters  he  was  no  less 
kind.  For  a  whole  winter  he  brought  his  lit- 
tle sister  in  his  arms  every  morning  from  her 
bed  to  the  fire  in  the  next  room,  that  she  might 
not  make  her  feet  cold  by  the  cold  floor, 
though  his  own  little  feet  were  as  naked  as 
her's.  It  was  a  pretty  sight  to  see  that  little 
boy  taking  such  care  of  his  little  sister.  If 
cakes,  or  raisins,  or  nuts  were  given  him  when 
he  was  away  from  home,  he  brought  them 
back  to  share  them  with  his  sister ;  and  some- 
times he  gave  away  nearly  all.  I  have  said 
that  he  was  once  whipped  because  he  would 
not  obey  his  parents,  but  he  soon  learned  to 
obey  them.  At  three  years  old  he  often  went 
with  a  message  for  them,  and  came  back  at 
once.  Once,  when  he  was  four  years  old,  his 
mother  sent  him  to  ask  some  friends  to  tea, 
and  to  come  back  as  soon  as  he  could.  He 
went  from  one  house  to  another,  as  she  had 
told  him,  and  would  not  stay  when  they  asked 
him.     At  the  last  house  he  saw,  through  an 


70  JOHN    MOONEY    MEAD. 

open  door,  a  pretty  bird  in  a  cage.  They 
asked  him  to  come  in  and  see  it,  but  he  said, 
*'  My  mother  told  me  not  to  stop,"  and  ran 
home  as  fast  as  he  could.  When  he  got  home, 
and  had  given  the  answers  with  which  he  was 
trusted,  he  told  his  mother  of  the  pretty  bird, 
and  said,  "  May  I  go  back  and  see  it  ?"  That 
was  much  better  than  if  he  had  staid  to  see 
the  bird,  when  he  had  been  told  not  to  do  so. 
It  makes  children  happier  in  the  end  to  do 
what  they  ought  to  do,  than  to  do  what  they 
Hke  to  do. 

This  good  little  boy  was  also  very  kind. 
Often  children  spend  their  money  in  toys  or 
cakes  if  they  can  ;  but  he  gave  almost  all  that 
he  had  to  the  poor.  For  two  years  he  went 
without  sugar  and  other  SAveet  things  which 
he  liked,  that  he  might  get  a  httle  money  to 
give  away.  If  ever  he  heard  of  poor  children 
who  had  lost  their  parents,  and  had  no  one  to 
take  care  of  them,  or  who  had  nothing  to  eat, 
he  would  weep  and  sob,  and  would  not  eat. 
Often,  when  the  day  was  so  bad  that  he  did 
not  wish  to  go  out  to  play,  he  would  go  through 
the  snow  and  rain  to  carry  a  poor  widow 
milk ;  and  his  parents  let  him  do  it,  because 


JOHN    MOONEY    MEAD.  71 

they  wished  him  to  know  that  he  was  sent 
into  the  world  to  do  good.  A  short  time  be- 
fore he  died,  he  heard  a  woman  say  how 
poor  she  was,  and,  having  first  asked  his  mo- 
ther, he  took  out  of  his  box  more  than  half 
of  all  the  money  that  he  had  and  gave  it  to 
her.  Yet  he  never  told  his  father  of  it.  He 
liked  to  do  good,  but  he  did  not  wish  to  be 
praised  for  it. 

That  which  made  little  John  be  so  kind  and 
so  good  was,  that  he  feared  and  loved  God 
When  he  was  three  years  old  he  ahvays  pray- 
ed when  he  went  to  bed  at  night,  without  be- 
ing told  to  do  so  ;  and  he  sometimes  went  by 
himself  at  other  times  to  pray.  Once  he  was 
staying  with  two  old  people,  who  did  not  have 
family  prayer.  He  did  not  like  this  :  and  one 
day  after  breakfast  he  took  his  Bible,  laid  it 
on  a  chair  before  them,  and  read  a  few  verses. 
After  which  he  knelt  down  and  prayed  out 
loud.  Just  as  he  had  done,  his  mother  came 
into  the  room,  and  found  the  two  old  people 
in  tears  ;  and  the  lady  said  she  had  never  felt 
any  prayer  so  much  as  that.  The  next  day 
he  did  the  same  thing  while  his  mother  was 


72  JOHN    xMOONEY    MEAD. 

there  ;  and  she  said  that  many  grown  up  per- 
sons could  not  offer  a  better  prayer.  If  ever 
he  was  told  that  he  had  done  wrong  he  would 
go  into  the  corner  and  there  pray  God  to 
make  him  a  better  boy ;  and  in  the  last  year 
of  his  life  he  often  went  by  himself  to  pray. 
Sometimes,  also,  he  prayed  with  his  sister, 
and  sometimes  with  his  parents.  All  lit- 
tle children  have  not  parents  who  care  for 
their  souls.  One  day  John  heard  of  a  sick 
child,  who,  when  she  was  very  ill,  begged 
her  mother  in  vain  to  pray  with  her.  Her 
mother  did  not  know  how,  so  no  one  prayed 
with  the  poor  little  girl,  till  she  died.  When 
John  heard  it  he  shed  many  tears,  and  said, 
"  O,  mother,  I  wish  that  I  had  been  there,  I 
would  have  prayed  for  her."  At  this  time  he 
thought  much  about  being  saved.  Every 
morning,  for  some  time,  when  he  came  from 
his  bed,  he  said  to  himself,  "  The  hour  is  com- 
ing, in  the  which  all  that  are  in  their  graves 
shall  hear  his  voice,  and  shall  come  forth, 
they  that  have  done  good  to  the  resurrection 
of  life,  and  they  that  have  done  evil  to  the  re- 
surrection of  damnation."     But  no  one  who 


JOHN    MOOXEY    MEAD.  73 

did  not  know  him  can  know  how  much  he 
thought  of  these  truths.  He  talked  about 
them,  and  he  hstened  when  others  talked 
about  them.  At  his  play,  and  in  his  bed,  and 
always  he  seemed  to  have  his  mind  filled 
with  them.  A  few  weeks  before  John  was 
ill,  a  fine  boy,  who  was  loved  by  all  who 
knew  him,  died.  John  wxnt  to  see  him  buried, 
and  heard  his  father  say  »to  the  parents,  that 
parents  are  in  danger  of  loving  their  children 
more  than  God,  and  making  idols  of  them, 
for  which  God  may  take  them  away.  John 
looked  very  much  at  the  dead  body ;  and 
when  he  came  home  said  to  his  father,  "  Do 
you  make  an  idol  of  me  ?"  and  the  same  eve- 
ning he  said  to  his  mothei',  "  I  shall  go  to  hea-^ 
ven,  because  I  know  that  I  love  the  Lord  Je- 
sus Christ." 

One  day  he  saw  a  boy,  above  ten  years 
old,  at  a  shop  door,  selling  rum,  which  makes 
people  drunk.  Though  it  was  out  of  the  way, 
he  went  up  to  him,  and  said,  "  It  is  wicked  of 
you  to  sell  rum,  my  father  says  it  is  ;  and  you 
had  better  be  at  school."  This  he  never  told 
to  his  parents,  who  only  heard  it  from  the 
other  boy. 
7 


74  JOHN    MOONEY    MEAD. 

In  this  way  he  tried  to  do  good  to  others. 
Once  he  said  to  his  nurse,  "  Have  you  given 
yourself  up  to  Jesus  Christ  ? "    She  said,  "  No." 
"  Well,  why  don't  you ? "     "I  can't."     "  You 
must  pray."   "  Can't  you  pray  for  me  ?"   "  The 
Bible  says  we  must  all  pray  for  ourselves." 
But  he  often  did  pray  for  her  ;  and  once  he 
was  heard  to  say,  "  O  Lord,  bless  R.,  and 
give  her  a  new  heart ;  and,  O  Lord,  make 
her  holy,  and  prepare  her  for  heaven."     He 
was  as  earnest  with  his  little  friends  as  he 
was  with  his  nurse.     There  were  two  little 
children  whom  he  went  to  see  not  long  before 
he  died.     He  did  not  ask  to  see  their  play- 
things, nor  tell  them  what  playthings  he  had. 
He  did   not  think   about   having   any  thing 
given  him  to  eat;  nor  did  he  beg  them  to 
show  him  any  pictures  or  to  play  a  game 
with  him :  but  he  tried  to  bring  those  little 
children  to  turn  to  God.     He  told  them  that 
if  they  did  not  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
they  would  not  go  to  heaven,  but  would  go 
to  hell ;  and  that  God  would  say  to  them, 
"  Depart,  ye  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire,  pre- 
pared for  the  devil  and  his  angels.'     But  if 


JCHN    MOONEY    MEAD.  75 

they  did  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  they 
would  go  to  heaven,  and  he  would  say  to 
them,  "  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  in- 
herit the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world."  One  of  them  then 
said,  "  What  shall  I  do  ? "  "  You  must  pray," 
said  John.  "  I  do."  "  But  you  do  not  pray 
enough  ;  a  thousand  times  would  not  be 
enough  for  me."  All  this,  which  John  said, 
is  true.  All  good  children  will  go  to  heaven, 
all  bad  children  will  be  sent  to  hell.  You 
must  be  made  good,  my  dear  child,  by  the 
grace  of  God ;  you  must  love  Christ,  or  you 
will  be  lost.  Hear  that  little  boy,  not  five 
years  old,  who  is  now  in  heaven,  and  who 
bids  you  follow  him  there.  Will  you,  after 
you  have  read  this,  go  and  pray  to  God  to 
make  you  love  Jesus  Christ  and  to  serve  him 
all  your  days,  that  you  may  go  to  that  hap- 
py place,  where  little  John  now  is  with  the 
Saviour  ? 

At  last  John  grew  veiy  ill;  nothing  did 
him  good.  For  some  time  he  lay  very  still 
in  his  bed.  Then  he  said,  "  Mother,  I  shall 
want  my  father  called,  to  see  his  son   die. 


76  JOHN    MOONEY    MEAD. 

When  I  come  to  die,  you  will  call  my  dear 
father  out  of  the  study,  won't  you?"  He 
loved  his  father  very  much.  When  his  fa- 
ther had  been  from  home,  and  he  saw  Mm 
coming  back,  he  ran  to  meet  him  ;  when  his 
father  sat  down,  he  would  climb  up  on  his 
knee  and  say,  "  Dear  father,  my  dear  father." 
To  his  last  hour  he  wished  to  have  him  with 
him  ;  and  he  was  with  him  at  the  last.  One 
day  he  was  resting  his  head  on  his  father's 
bosom,  who  wiped  the  cold  sweat  from  his 
face  ;  he  looked  at  his  father  and  his  mo- 
ther ;  he  gasped  twice  ;  breathed  a  few  tim^es 
more ;  and  then  his  spirit  went  to  join  all 
those  little  children  who  loved  Jesus  Christ 
when  they  were  on  earth,  and  whom  Je- 
sus loves  in  heaven.  Dear  children,  this 
little  boy  was  only  four  years  and  eleven 
months  old  when  he  died.  You  are  per- 
haps older.  Do  you  know  as  much  of  God 
as  he  did  ?  Do  you  love  Christ  as  he  did  ? 
Do  you  love  your  parents  as  he  did '?  Do 
you  love  your  brothers  and  sisters  like  him  ? 
Do  you  learn  every  day  some  of  the  words 
of  God  in  the   Bible  ?      And  do  you  pray 


JOHN    MOONEY    MEAD.  77 

in  secret  that  God  would  make  you  fit  for 
heaven  ?  If  not,  then  begin  to  do  these 
things  now.  Never  rest  till  you  are  pious 
children ;  and  till  you  are  sure  that  you 
will  be  with  Christ  in  heaven  when  you  die. 


78  MARGARET    WALTON. 


MARGARET  WALTON.* 


Margaret  Walton  learned,  when  she  was 
a  very  Httle  girl,  that  her  heart  was  wicked, 
and  that  she  must  be  born  again.  She  knew 
also  that  there  is  a  day  of  judgment,  in  which 
all  who  die  will  rise  again,  when  those  who 
love  God  and  Christ  will  go  to  heaven,  and 
those  who  love  them  not  will  go  to  hell.  She 
often  talked  about  these  truths,  and  seemed  to 
feel  them  very  much. 

Before  she  was  three  years  old  she  learned 
that  hymn  which  says — 

"  But  children  you  should  never  let 
Your  angry  passions  rise." 

There  was  a  little  boy,  named  George,  who 

*  Margaret,  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  Rev.  W.  Walton, 
was  bom  in  Charlestown,  Virginia,  on  the  11th  of  March, 
1818,  and  died  Octobers,  1825. 


MARGARET    WALTON.  79 

did  not  think  of  this  when  he  was  at  play ; 
for,  wlicn  he  was  playing  with  Margaret,  he 
was  so  angry  that  he  was  going  to  strike  her. 
Margaret  did  not  beat  or  scold  him  for  it; 
but  only  said,  "  You  must  not  let  such  angry 
passions  rise,  little  Georgy."  She  made  good 
use  of  her  hymn. 

Before  she  was  four  years  old  she  one  day 
saw  a  blacksmith  come  out  of  his  shop,  and 
knock  a  man  down  with  his  tongs.  It  made 
her  feel  sick  to  see  the  blood  run  down  the 
poor  man's  face  ;  and  she  asked  her  mother 
whether  God  would  forgive  that  wicked 
blacksmith.  Her  mother  said,  that  God 
would  forgive  him,  if  he  was  sorry  for  his 
sin.  "  Then,"  said  Mary,  "  I  will  pray  for 
him."  And,  she  did  so  ;  for  some  time  after, 
the  blacksmith  came  to  the  town  where  she 
lived,  and  she  then  told  him  that  she  had 
prayed  to  God  to  forgive  him. 

About  the  same  time  a  little  black  girl  was 
at  her  father's  house ;  and,  as  Margaret  wish- 
ed to  do  the  little  girl  good,  she  took  her  two 
or  three  times  into  a  room  to  pray  with  her. 
There  was  also  a  very  wicked  man,  to  whom 
she  spoke  in  such  a  way  of  God,  of  the  Sa- 


SD  MARGARET    WALTON. 

viour,  of  heaven,  and  of  hell,  that  he  said  of 
her,  "Miss  Margaret  is  a  wonderful  child  !  I 
never  heard  a  child  talk  so  in  my  life."  And 
she  talked  in  the  same  way  to  other  persons 
too. 

At  this  time  she  often  went  into  a  room  to 
pray.  Sometimes  she  began  to  cry  when  she 
had  not  been  hurt  or  vexed  ;  and,  when  she 
was  asked  what  made  her  cry,  she  said,  "  I 
have  such  a  wicked  heart."  At  family  prayer 
she  stood  by  her  fatlier  while  he  read  the 
Bible  ;  and,  when  he  prayed,  she  knelt  down, 
with  her  hands  put  together  before  her  ;  and 
sometimes  she  so  felt  the  prayer,  that  she 
could  not  help  crying.  Often  her  parents 
talked  with  her  about  the  great  truths  of  the 
Bible  ;  and  she  liked  to  hear  of  those  truths, 
more  than  other  children  like  to  talk  of  their 
clothes,  or  their  toys,  their  games,  or  their 
food. 

If  her  mother  had  been  from  home,  and 
asked  when  she  came  home,  "  Who  have  been 
good  children  ?"  one  would  say,  "  I  have,"  and 
another  "  I  have  ;"  but  she  would  be  silent. 
And  when  her  mother  said  to  her,  "  Have  not 
you  too  been  a  good  girl  ?"  she  would  not 


MARGARET    WALTON.  81 

praise  herself,  but  she  would  say,  with  a  sweet 
smile,  "Ask  Sarah."  Once,  when  she  was 
asked,  "  Wiio  is  the  best  girl,  you  or  your 
sister?"  she  answered,  "Why,  sister."  "And 
who  is  the  prettiest  girl?"  "Why,  sister." 
Others  did  not  think  so  of  her ;  but  she  did, 
because  she  was  humble. 

Margaret  seemed  to  love  every  body,  and 
showed  it  in  every  v/ay.  She  often  gave 
things  to  her  little  brother  ;  and  she  used  to 
take  her  little  sisters  hand  ;  talk  to  her  so 
kindly,  and  show  her  every  thing  which  she 
would  like  to  see.  When  her  grandmother 
was  ill,  Margaret  often  went  to  read  the  Bible 
to  her  in  her  room  ;  and  when  one  of  the  ser- 
vants was  ill,  Margaret  sat  by  her  bed-side, 
and  read  the  Bible  to  her  too.  Thus  she  tried 
to  be  kind  to  every  one.  But  Margaret  did* 
not  only  read  the  Bible  to  please  others,  for 
she  loved  it.  Every  morning  she  said  a  verse 
out  of  it  to  her  parents,  and  thus  she  knew  a 
great  deal  of  it.  When  her  father  asked  her 
why  she  loved  it,  she  said, "  Because  it  is  the 
word  of  God."  And  once,  when  her  father 
was  putting  a  Bible  under  her  pillow  to  raise 
her  head,  she  said  to  him,  "  Don't  treat  the 


82  MARGARET    WALTON. 

word  of  God  so."  She  knew  that  the  great 
God,  who  made  heaven  and  earth,  has  told  us 
his  will  in  the  Bible.  She  knew  that  he  who 
has  so  loved  us,  that  he  gave  his  only  son, 
Jesus  Christ,  to  die  for  us,  has  told  his  chil- 
dren in  the  Bible  how  much  he  loves  them. 
She  knew  also  that  he  had  shown  her  in  that 
book  how  to  be  good  and  happy ;  and  this 
made  her  love  it  and  take  care  of  it.  It  was 
the  Bible  which,  through  the  grace  of  God, 
made  her  as  pious  as  she  was  ;  it  gave  her 
peace  till  she  died  ;  and  it  made  her  fit  for 
heaven,  where  she  now  is.  If  children  wish 
to  be  wise,  good,  useful,  and  happy,  they  must 
read  the  Bible  ;  they  must  love  it ;  and  they 
must  obey  it. 

Though  she  was  so  pious  she  wished  to  be 
more  so  ;  and  said  to  her  mother,  "  Oh,  that 
J  could  say,  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart, 

*  Here,  Lord,  I  give  myself  away.'  " 

This  thought  made  her  cry  for  some  time 
when  she  was  in  bed,  and  beg  her  mother  to 
pray  with  her ;  but  her  mother  told  her  it 
would  be  better  if  she  prayed  for  herself.  She 
then  prayed  for  a  long  time  out  loud ;  and  the 


MARGARET    WALTON.  88 

nurse,  who  was  in  the  room,  said,  that  she 
had  never  before  heard  such  a  prayer  from  a 
child. 

But  Kttle  Margaret  did  not  pray  only  when 
she  went  to  bed.  God  is  with  us  every 
where  ;  he  gives  us  all  that  we  have ;  he  takes 
care  of  us  every  minute;  and  therefore  we 
may  always  pray  to  him ;  and  so  she  did. 
When  she  walked  out  she  saw  much  to  please 
her;  there  were  the  flowers  and  trees,  the 
birds  and  insects,  the  horses  and  sheep,  to 
look  at.  She  could  jump  and  run  about  as 
other  little  girls.  She  might  play  with  other 
children,  and  ask  her  aunt  or  her  mother  to 
tell  her  about  many  things  which  she  saw ; 
but  though  she  could  think  and  speak  about 
all  these  things,  she  loved  more  to  think  and 
speak  about  God.  One  day  she  was  walking 
with  her  aunt,  and  they  talked  of  God,  and  of 
Christ,  and  of  heaven,  till  she  seemed  full  of 
joy ;  and,  as  they  were  in  a  quiet  place, 
where  nobody  was  near,  she  said,  "  Aunt,  you 
can  pray,  and  I  can  pray,  and  we  can  sing. 
I  want  to  bow  my  knees  to  my  heavenly  Fa- 
ther. I  want  to  obey  his  command."  Her 
aunt  thought  that  they  could  not  kneel  down 


84  MARGARET    VV'ALTON. 

there,  where  they  might  be  seen ;  but  they 
sang  two  hymns  which  she  knew.  Her  aunt 
then  said  to  her,  "  Do  you  love  God  ?"  "  Yes," 
she  said,  "  I  know  I  do."  "  Do  you  love  him 
better  than  every  thing  else  ?"  "  Yes,"  she 
said  again  "  I  know  I  do."  Ever  after  that 
she  liked  that  place,  and  liked  to  think  of  that 
walk  with  her  aunt.  It  makes  little  children 
happy  to  love  God,  and  to  know  that  God 
loves  them  ;  and  this  made  her  ready  to  die. 
God  saw  it  to  be  good  for  her  that  she  should 
not  live  long  on  earth ;  but  he  made  her  fit 
for  heaven  before  he  took  her  away.  Though 
she  was  young,  and  had  always  seemed  to 
others  so  good  a  little  girl,  she  felt  how  bad 
her  heart  was,  and  she  said  once,  "  O,  I  have 
passed  through  a  great  deal  of  sin  !"  Many 
children  are  not  sorry  for  bad  words  and 
wicked  acts  ;  but  Margaret  was  grieved  to 
think  even  of  her  bad  thoughts ;  yet,  when 
she  thought  of  what  Christ  had  done,  it  gave 
her  peace.  .  One  night  she  said,  "  Jesus  died 
to  save  sinners :  if  I  repent,  did  he  not  die  for 
me  ?"  "  Yes,"  said  a  friend,  "  he  did."  "  If  I 
feel  sorry  in  my  heart  for  my  sins,  is  not  that 
repentance?"     "Yes."     "Then,"   she   said, 


MARGARET    WALTON.  85 

"  God  will  forgive  me  for  Christ's  sake."  She 
felt  that  she  was  sorry  for  her  sins,  and  she 
knew  that  God  pardons  those  who  are  so. 
But  her  faith,  instead  of  making  her  cease  to 
pray,  made  her  pray  the  more.  Her  words 
were  few,  for  she  was  a  little  girl ;  but  the 
blessed  Saviour  heard  them.  This  was  her 
earnest  prayer :  "  0  Jesus,  love  me !  O  Je- 
sus, Jesus,  you  did  promise  me,  that  whoso- 
ever believeth  in  thy  name  should  not  perish. 
You  did  promise  me  so."  Do  you  think  he 
turned  away  from  her  prayer  ?  I  feel  sure 
he  did  not.  He  did  love  her;  he  loves  her 
now ;  and  will  love  her  for  ever.  Though 
she  died  very  young,  we  should  not  pity  her ; 
for  she  is  full  of  joy  now  among  the  angels 
of  God  ;  and  she  will  be  so  for  ever.  Indeed 
she  was  a  happy  little  child  all  the  time  that 
she  was  ill.  She  could  talk  about  heaven  with 
a  smile,  while  her  mother  and  her  nurse  shed 
tears  for  her;  and  almost  her  last  words 
showed  her  hope  that  she  would  soon  see  the 
Saviour  there.  When  her  father  said, "  Whom 
do  you  expect  to  see  in  heaven  ?"  she  an- 
swered, "  Jesus."  When  he  said,  "  Will  you 
praise  him  ?"  she  answered,  "  Yes."  "  And 
8 


86  MARGARET    WALTON. 

for  what  ?"  "  For  his  loving  kindness."  Soon 
after  that  she  went  to  heaven  to  praise  him, 
as  she  said.  Happy  child  !  she  had  no  fear 
of  dying,  and  death  could  not  hurt  her.  They 
put  her  body  into  the  grave,  but  she  went  to 
her  home  above ;  and  there,  if  we  love  the 
Saviour,  we  shall  one  day  see  her,  and  share 
in  her  joy. 


MARY    LOTHROP.  87 


MARY  LOTHROP.* 


When  Mary  was  two  years  old  her  mother 
began  to  talk  to  her  about  God,  and  she  hked 
to  listen  to  her  mother.  As  soon  as  she 
could  talk  she  would  say,  "  That  she  loved 
God  and  wished  to  be  good,  that  she  might 
go  to  heaven."  Some  little  children,  when 
they  come  in  to  family  prayer,  look  about,  or 
play  with  their  fingers,  and  do  not  listen  or 
pray;  but  Mary,  when  she  was  only  three 
years  old,  sat  very  still,  and  thought  of  all 
that  was  said.  Some  little  children  will  do 
what  they  are  bid,  because  they  fear  to  be 
punished ;  but  she  tried  to  please  her  parents 
in  all  things,  and  did  not  wait  for  them  to  tell 
her  that  she  must  not  do  any  thing ;  but  if 

*  She  died  in  Boston,  U.  S.,  March  18,  1831,  aged  six 
years  and  tliree  months.  From  her  life,  published  at  Bos- 
ton, 1832. 


88  MARY    LOTHROP. 

she  only  thought  that  any  thing  would  grieve 
them,  she  would  not  do  it.  As  she  grew 
older,  she  tried  to  please  every  body ;  which 
made  them  love  her,  and  made  her  feel  happy. 
She  would  never  play  with  bad  children,  but 
left  them  to  go  to  her  mother,  or  staid  away 
from  them  by  herself. 

At  four  years  old  she  was  sent  to  school. 
There  she  often  came  to  her  teacher.  Miss 
G.,  and  said,  "Will  you  please  to  read  what 
Jesus  said  to  little  children?"  And  once  she 
said,  "Will  Jesus  love  little  children  now; 
and  will  he  give  me  a  new  heart  if  I  ask  him  ?" 

Before  she  was  five  years  old  she  earnestly 
sought  a  new  heart,  and  said,  "I  want  to 
know  that  I  have  a  new  heart."  And  when 
she  was  five  she  was  more  earnest,  and  said, 
almost  every  day,  "  Dear  mother,  I  want  God 
to  make  me  good.  I  want  him  to  take  away 
my  wicked  heart,  and  give  me  a  new  heart. 
O,  mother,  wdll  you  pray  for  me  ?"  She  was 
very  fond  of  prayer.  If  she  saw  any  one  in 
want — if  she  was  vexed  by  any  thing,  or  if 
either  of  her  brothers  did  wrong,  she  would 
go  and  pray.  In  the  morning  she  would  not 
leave  her  room  without  prayer.     She  did  not 


MARY    LOTHROP.  89 

say  a  prayer  taught  her  out  of  a  book,  but  she 
prayed  for  a  great  many  things  in  her  own 
words. 

One  night,  when  she  was  about  five  years 
old,  there  was  a  fire  in  the  city,  and  they  cried 
out,  fire !  fire !  Some  children  would  have 
screamed  when  they  heard  it,  and  would 
have  thought  that  they  would  be  burnt  in 
their  beds  ;  but  Mary  lay  still ;  and  next  day 
she  said,  "  Mother,  when  they  cried  fire  last 
night,  I  thought  that  there  were  so  many  sin- 
ners that  did  not  love  God,  I  was  afraid  that 
their  houses  would  get  on  fire,  and  burn  them 
up,  before  they  learned  the  way  to  heaven.  It 
troubled  me  so,  that  I  could  not  help  crying ; 
and  then  I  tried  to  pray  for  them." 

Little  children  should  be  like  little  lambs, 
and  play  together,  and  love  each  other ;  but 
sometimes  they  quarrel,  and  are  like  tigers. 
They  do  this  because  they  have  wicked 
hearts ;  but  when  God  makes  their  hearts 
good,  then  they  do  not  Hke  to  quarrel.  Mary 
loved  God,  and  therefore  did  not  like  to  quar- 
rel with  her  httle  brother ;  and  how  do  you 
think  she  tried  to  make  him  not  quarrel  with 
her  ?  One  day  he  struck  her,  and  was  pun- 
8* 


06  MARY    LOTHROP. 

ished.  She  then  took  his  hand,  and  led  him 
out  of  the  room.  When  -she  came  back,  she 
said,  "  Mother,  I  do  not  think  that  he  will  strike 
me  any  more."  But  he  did  strike  her  again  in 
a  few  days.  She  then  said,  "  Dear  mother, 
don't  punish  him  ;  I  think  I  can  teach  him  not 
to  do  so  again  :"  and  she  took  him  out  of  the 
room.  Her  mother  then  went  after  them,  to 
see  what  she  would  do.  She  went  with  him 
into  a  room,  and  nearly  shut  the  door.  Then 
she  made  him  kneel  down  by  a  chair,  and  she 
knelt  by  his  side.  After  which,  she  said,  "  O, 
Lord,  forgive  my  little  brother,  and  give  him 
a  new  heart,  that  he  may  not  strike  me  any 
more ;  and  if  he  does  strike  me  or  push  me, 
put  it  into  my  heart  not  to  strike  him,  but  to 
say,  '  Don't  do  so,  httle  brother.' "  That  was 
a  good  way  to  make  him  kind  to  her.  If 
little  children  would  pray  with  each  other, 
they  would  not  often  quarrel. 

If  her  father  was  ever  tired,  or  in  trouble, 
she  did  not  vex  him  more  by  being  naughty, 
but  she  would  go  and  pray  for  him.  Once 
she  was  heard  to  say,  "O  Lord,  wilt  thou 
bless  my  dear  father,  and  comfort  him  by 
making  him  think  of  his  heavenly  home  ?'* 


MARY    LOTHROP.  91 

Some  little  children  leave  their  play-things 
about,  and  throw  down  their  clothes  every 
where,  by  which  they  give  servants  a  great 
deal  of  trouble ;  but  little  Mary  was  very 
neat  and  orderly,  because  her  mother  told 
her  to  be  so.  Her  clothes  were  folded  up 
with  care  ;  and  after  she  had  used  a  book  or 
a  toy,  she  always  put  it  in  its  place. 

One  Sunday,  when  she  was  about  five  years 
old,  she  said,  "  O  mother,  I  do  not  want  to  live 
in  this  wicked  world  any  longer ;  I  want  to  go 
to  heaven,  to  be  where  God  is.  When  I  look 
up  to  heaven,  and  think  that  God  is  there,  and 
the  holy  angels  are  there,  and  the  blessed  Sa- 
viour is  there,  I  can't  live  in  this  world  and  be 
a  sinner  any  longer.  I  want  to  be  where 
God  is.  1  long  to  be  there.  Then  we  can 
praise  him  all  the  time ;  and  the  blessed  Sa- 
viour will  rejoice  to  hear  us  too.  It  makes 
me  feel  very  happy." 

Once,  when  a  poor  black  man  came  to  the 
house,  she  said  to  him,  "Caesar,  do  you  love 
God?  Do  you  pray  to  him?  You  must 
pray  a  great  deal.  Do  you  read  the  Bible? 
You  know  we  have  all  got  to  be  sick  and  die. 
You  have  got  to  be  sick,  and  suffer  a  great 


92  MARY    LOTHROP. 

deal.  Will  you  tell  me,  Caesar,  that  you'll 
love  God,  and  try  to  serve  him  ?" 

«  I  will,  little  Mary,  I  v^^ill  try."  The  poor 
old  man  wept  as  he  went  away,  and  said, 
"  Good-bye,  little  Mary ;  you  won't  be  with 
us  here  very  long ;  you'll  be  better  off."  After 
he  went  out  she  prayed  for  him :  a  few  days 
after  that  he  died. 

Another  time,  when  there  was  an  orofan 
playing  in  the  street,  she  said,  "  How  it  makes 
me  feel  to  see  that  poor  man  with  the  organ, 
and  those  little  boys  ;  they  look  so  poor  and 
so  dirty.  I  am  afraid  they  have  not  any  one 
to  take  care  of  them,  and  tell  them  about 
God."  She  then  kneeled  down,  and  prayed 
"^r  the  man  and  the  poor  little  bovs,  and  her 
heart  seemed  full  of  pity  for  them. 

Mary  had  thought  it  would  make  her  so 
happy  to  be  well  again,  and  to  play  with  other 
children ;  but  she  often  saw  so  much  which 
was  wrong  in  their  play,  that  it  made  her 
sad.  Little  children  should  think  that  God 
sees  them,  even  when  they  play,  and  not 
either  do  or  say  any  thing  in  their  play  which 
is  against  his  will.  Sometimes  they  quarrel 
with  each  other ;  sometimes  they  are  rude  ; 


MARY    LOTHROP.  93 

sometimes  they  say  bad  words  ;  sometimes 
they  are  idle,  and  will  neither  play  nor  do 
any  thing  else.  These  things  little  Mary 
could  not  bear  :  but  would  rather  be  by  her- 
self: and  all  good  little  children  must  feel  as 
she  did. 

If  ever  she  spoke  of  God  she  was  very  se- 
rious ;  and  when  she  spoke  of  the  Saviour 
she  would  say  the  blessed  Saviour.  It  there- 
fore grieved  her  when  her  sisters  used  the 
name  of  God  lightly.  Once,  with  tears  in  her 
eyes,  she  said  to  her  sister,  "  You  pray  too 
fast ;  I  cannot  hear  the  name  of  God  repeated 
so.  I  do  not  think  God  will  hear  such  a 
prayer."  If  children  only  say  their  prayers, 
without  feeling  them,  how  can  they  think  God 
will  give  them  what  they  ask  for?  He  will 
give  us  what  we  ask  with  our  hearts  in  the 
name  of  Christ ;  but  if  we  do  not  mean  what 
we  say,  God  sees  that  we  do  not  pray  at  all, 
and  will  not  bless  us.  Mary  was  therefore 
quite  right. 

One  day,  when  she  was  five  years  and  a 
half  old,  she  went  a  short  journey  with  her 
mother.  As  they  came  home  the  wind  blew, 
the  rain  poured  down,  the  way  was  long  to 


94  MARY    LOTHROP. 

her,  and  she  was  very  tired ;  but  before  she 
went  to  bed  she  prayed  out  loud  with  her 
mother,  and,  instead  of  being  vexed  that  the 
day  had  been  so  bad,  she  thanked  God  for 
making  the  high  hills  and  the  pretty  flowers ; 
and  that  the  wind  did  not  blow  any  harder, 
and  that  it  did  not  rain  any  more. 

You  know,  my  dear  children,  that  there 
are  a  great  many  people  in  the  world  called 
heathen,  who  do  not  know  God  ;  they  pray  to 
gods  of  wood  and  stone  to  bless  them  ;  they 
have  never  heard  of  Jesus  Christ ;  they  have 
no  Bible  ;  they  are  under  the  power  of  Satan ; 
and  they  live  in  all  kinds  of  sin.  Little  Mary 
had  heard  of  the  heathen,  and  felt  so  sorry 
for  them,  that  she  was  often  heard  to  pray  for 
them ;  and  if  any  money  was  given  to  her 
she  loved  to  give  it,  that  missionaries  might 
be  sent  out  to  them.  God  had  saved  her 
through  Christ,  and  she  wished  all  other  little 
children  in  the  world  to  know  about  God  and 
Christ,  that  they  might  be  saved  too. 

Sometimes  she  was  afraid  that  she  was  not 
a  child  of  God,  and  she  wept  when  she  spoke 
of  her  sins  ;  but  when  she  learned  that,  how- 
ever sinful  she  might  be,  Jesus  Christ  could 


MAR^    LOTHROP.  95 

save  her,  she  was  Isd  by  the  grace  of  God  to 
put  herself  under  his  care,  and  after  that  she 
had  no  more  fear. 

It  pleased  God  that  little  Mary  should  suf- 
fer a  great  deal  of  pain.  Day  and  night  she 
was  in  pain  ;  and  she  would  lie  for  hours  with- 
out moving,  because  any  change  hurt  her  so 
much.  Month  after  month  she  could  scarce- 
ly breathe.  She  could  not  lift  up  her  arm ; 
she  could  only  turn  her  head  upon  her  pillow ; 
yet  she  was  very  patient.  She  knew  that 
Christ  had  suffered  more  for  her ;  she  knew 
that  she  deserv  id  to  suffer  more ;  and  she 
knew  that  she  would  soon  be  in  heaven.  Sick- 
ness sometimes  makes  children  cross  and  self- 
ish ;  but  UttleMary  was  very  grateful.  "Dear 
mother,  sweet  mother,"  she  sometimes  said, 
"  I  don't  wish  you  to  sit  up  with  me  to-night. 
You  can  lie  down  so  that  I  can  see  you.  I 
Jove  to  look  at  you." 

For  nearly  four  months  she  lay  so  ill  that 
she  could  not  move  her  finger,  and  had  no 
hope  to  grow  better ;  yet,  when  a  lady  said 
to  her,  "  I  suppose,  my  dear  Mary,  you  often 
wonder  that  you  are  sick  so  long,  and  suffer 
so  much  pain,"  she  meekly  answered  "  No  ;'' 


96  MARY    LOTHROP. 

and  then  said,  that  she  was  happier  than  ever 
before  in  her  life.  O  how  happy  it  is  to  be 
a  child  of  God  ! 

When  her  mother  gave  her  some  coffee, 
she  said ,  "  It  is  God  who  gives  coffee  its  plea- 
sant taste.  How  good  God  is  to  give  us  so 
many  things  to  make  us  happy !  Oranges, 
lemons,  figs  ;  we  could  not  make  them  grow. 
God  makes  the  wood  grow  too.  O  how  good 
God  is !  I  remember,  when  I  rode  out  last 
summer,  how  beautifully  the  hills  and  the 
trees  looked.  How  many  there  were  !  and 
the  sweet  little  flowers  that  he  made  to  grow 
out  of  the  ground."  One  night,  when  some 
persons  had  said  how  much  they  pitied  her, 
she  said,  "I  don't  like  to  hear  people  call  me 
a  lamb  ;  I  would  rather  they*  would  talk 
about  my  being  a  sinner,  and  tell  me  of  the 
sufferings  of  the  Saviour ;  that  makes  me  for- 
get how  much  I  suflfer." 

At  length  the  hour  came  for  her  to  die. 
She  was  veiy  weak  and  in  great  pain.  "  O," 
she  said,  "  that  I  could  have  one  breath  !  0, 
that  I  could  cough  !  I  will  try  to  be  patient. 
Give  me  more  air !  It  will  soon  be  over. 
Mrs.  H.,  <?ome,  kneel  down  by  me,  and  pray 


MARY    LOTIIROP.  97 

to  God.  Pray  earnest.  Speak  loud  !  earn- 
est, earnest !  0  God,  do  relieve  me  !"  Dur- 
ing the  prayer  she  was  easier.  She  then 
slept  for  some  hours  ;  after  which  she  again 
asked  Mrs.  H.  to  pray.  Not  long  after  the 
prayer  was  ended  she  said  earnestly,  "  Mo- 
ther !  come  to  me — sit  close  to  me  !  Call  fa- 
ther— call  him  quick."  She  could  not  speak 
any  more  ;  but  as  they  watched  her,  they 
could  hear  her  faintly  whisper,  "  Dear  ma — 
sweet  ma — sweet  ma,"  till  the  sound  died 
away ;  and  she  went  to  the  Saviour  whom 
she  had  so  much  loved,  and  by  whom  she  had 
been  so  greatly  blessed. 

Little  Mary  was  only  six  years  and  three 
months  old  when  she  died.  Dear  children, 
strive  and  pray  to  be  like  her.  Ask  God, 
very  often  to  make  you  so,  and  never  rest  till 
you  are. 


9 


98  SOME    THINGS    Will  JH 


SOME  THINGS  WHICH  LITTLE  CHILDREN 
OUGHT  TO  DO. 


As  you  have  now  read,  my  dear  children, 
he  lives  of  these  little  boys  and  girls,  you 
fenow  how  soon  children  may  know  and  love 
God.  Some  who  have  read  this  little  book 
are,  perhaps,  older  than  Phoebe  Bartlctt,  Mary 
Lothrop,  David  Brown,  or  John  Mead :  you 
should  therefore  try  at  once  to  love  and  serve 
God  as  they  did.  If  you  wish  to  do  so,  then 
read  over  the  rules  which  I  am  going  to  write, 
and  try  every  day  to  keep  them. 

1.  As  you  are  sinners  you  can  only  be 
saved  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  died 
upon  the  cross  to  save  you,  you  must  there- 
fore own  your  sins,  and  be  sorry  for  them. 
You  must  trust  only  in  Christ  to  save  you ; 
you  must  ask  God,  often,  to  save  you  for  the 
sake  of  Christ ;  and  love  the  Saviour  ver> 


LITTLE    CHILDREN    OUGHT    TO    DO.  99 

much  for  being  so  good  as  to  love  you  and 
to  save  you. 

2.  God  has  been  so  good  as  to  send  his 
only  son  Jesus  Christ  to  save  you,  and  is  al- 
ways doing  you  good.  Think  of  him  always ; 
for  he  sees  you  in  every  place.  When  you 
are  happy  praise  him  for  it ;  since  he  gives 
you  all  that  you  enjoy.  Praise  him  when  you 
get  up ;  praise  him  when  you  go  to  bed ;  and 
praise  him  often  in  the  day.  And  try  to  love 
him,  as  your  Heavenly  Father,  better  than 
you  love  any  body  in  the  world. 

3.  Since  the  Bible  is  the  word  of  God,  if 
you  can  read  well,  read  it  every  day,  that  you 
may  know  more  and  more  of  what  God  says 
to  you  there,  and  learn  some  verses  of  it  every 
day ;  and  ask  your  parents  to  read  to  you  of 
Samuel  and  Joseph,  of  David  and  Timothy, 
who  all  served  the  Lord  w^hen  they  were 
young.  Ask  them  above  all  to  read  to  you 
of  Jesus  Christ,  who,  though  he  was  one  with 
God  and  was  God  became  a  little  cliild,  and 
then  died  on  the  cross  to  save  you  from  hell. 
And  if  ever  your  parents  talk  to  you  about 
God  and  Christ,  about  heaven  and  hell,  learn 
from  them  all  that  you  can,  and  think  much 


100  SOME    THINGS    WHICH 

of  all  that  they  say  to  you,  that  you  may  soon 
know  as  much  as  Mary  Lothrop  or  John 
Mead  knew. 

4.  As  God  only  can  make  you  wise  and 
good,  pray  to  him  very  often  to  bless  you 
Never  get  up  or  go  to  bed  without  praying 
to  him.  Pray  to  him  sometimes  w^hen  you. 
are  at  play  or  work.  Pray  to  him,  before 
your  meals,  to  bless  you.  When  you  are  at 
family  prayer  sit  still  to  hear  the  Bible  read. 
Kneel  quietly  during  prayer,  and  try  to  pray 
yourself  Ask  also  your  parents  to  pray  with 
you,  and  to  pray  for  you  ;  and  may  God  hear 
your  prayer,  and  make  you  very  pious. 

5.  All  these  pious  children  were  fond  of 
hymns,  and  little  David  knew  about  forty 
hymns,  although  he  was  not  five  years  old. 
If  you  were  to  learn  one  verse  of  a  hymn 
every  day  in  the  week  till  Friday,  and  then 
say  them  over  again  on  Saturday  and  Sunday, 
you  would  soon  know  as  many  pretty  hymns 
as  httle  David  did. 

6.  When  you  read,  and  w^hen  your  parents 
talk  to  you,  you  hear  words  and  things  which 
you  do  not  understand.  Your  parents  would 
be  very  glad  to  tell  you  what  these  words 


LITTLE   CHILDREN  OUGHT    TO    DO.  101 

and  things  mean,  if  you  would  ask  them.  Ask 
them,  as  little  John  used,  of  every  thing  which 
you  sec  and  hear  which  may  do  you  good, 
and  try  to  keep  in  mind  what  they  say. 

7.  Good  children  always  love  and  obey 
their  parents.  Do  you  love  and  obey  your 
parents  ?  You  must  do  what  they  tell  you 
at  once,  with  good  temper,  and  as  well  as 
you  can.  God  has  put  them  over  you,  and  it 
is  his  will  that  you  should  obey  them,  as  it  is 
his  will  that  you  should  obey  him.  Never 
do  what  you  know  they  do  not  like,  even  if 
they  are  out  of  sight ;  for  God  can  see  you 
if  they  do  not ;  and  they  also  will  almost  al- 
ways find  you  out.  Besides,  how  much  they 
love  you,  and  how  many  things  they  give 
you !  You  could  not  get  food  and  clothes 
without  them  ;  and  if  they  did  not  take  care 
of  you,  you  would  soon  be  sick  and  die.  You 
ought  therefore  to  love  them  as  little  David 
did,  who  said  to  his  father,  "  Let  me  smuddei 
(smother)  you  with  kisses.  You  so  very  deai 
to  me ;  me  can't  tell  how  dear  you  are  !"  oi 
as  little  Mary,  whose  last  words  were,  "  Deai 
ma,  sweet  ma — sweet  ma !" 

You  must  also  be  kind,  and  good,  and  obe 
9* 


102  SOME    THINGS    WHICH 

dient  to  those  who  nurse  you.  They  do  a 
great  many  things  for  you,  and  bear  with  all 
your  faults.  You  should  therefore  love  them, 
and  do  all  that  they  tell  you,  and  never  be 
cross  to  them. 

8.  It  is  the  w^ill  of  God  that  little  children 
should  love  each  other.  It  is  very  sweet  to 
see  one  little  child  teach  another,  as  Abner 
used  to  teach  little  David.  It  is  very  sweet 
to  see  a  little  brother  keep  his  sister  from  be- 
ing hurt,  as  little  John  carried  his  sister  from 
her  bed  to  the  fire,  that  she  might  not  touch 
the  cold  floor  with  her  feet ;  and  it  is  very 
sweet  to  hear  a  little  sister  pray  for  her  sis- 
ters, as  Phoebe  did  when  she  was  only  four 
years  old.  And  will  not  you,  my  dear  chil- 
dren, be  like  these  good  little  brothers  and 
sisters  ?  Never  quarrel :  leave  that  to  dogs 
and  bears.  Never  hurt  each  other.  Wasps 
may  sting,  and  snakes  may  bite  ;  but  you 
should  be  like  doves  and  lambs.  God  the 
Holy  Spirit  came  down  on  Jesus  in  the  form 
of  a  dove,  to  teach  us  that  he  loves  us  to  be 
as  gentle  as  doves  ;  and  Jesus  Christ  among 
his  enemies  was  as  meek  and  mild  as  a  lamb, 
to  teach  us  that  we  also  should  be  .ike  lambs. 


LITTLE   CHILDREN    OUGHT    TO    DO.  103 

Do  for  each  other  every  act  of  kindness  that 
you  can.  Jf  you  have  any  nice  things  share 
them  with  the  others.  If  you  are  playing  to- 
gether, give  up  your  wills  to  each  other,  and 
let  each  try  to  make  the  others  happy  all  the 
day. 

9.  Some  children  play  very  rudely :  they 
push  each  other  about ;  they  scold  each  other ; 
they  mock  each  other ;  each  wishes  to  have 
his  own  way ;  and  then  they  are  sure  to  quar- 
rel before  long.  If  you  see  children  playing 
in  that  way,  go  from  them,  and  never  play  so 
yourselves  ;  but  be  gentle  to  each  other,  and 
take  care  never  to  hurt  those  who  are  not  so 
old  or  so  strong  as  you  are. 

10.  Those  children  who  play  rudely,  also 
love  to  do  mischief.  If  they  play  with  any 
thing  they  leave  it  about.  Nothing  of  theirs 
is  in  its  place.  They  tear  their  frocks  ;  they 
break  their  toys  ;  they  lose  their  books ;  they 
spoil  whatever  is  given  to  them.  But  Jesus, 
when  he  was  upon  earth,  would  not  let  the 
bits  of  broken  bread  be  wasted  ;  but  made  his 
disciples  gather  them  up.  A  pious  child  will 
never  therefore  waste  and  spoil  any  thing. 
Take  care  of  every  thing  which  you  have. 


104  SOME    THINGS    WHICH 

Put  all  things  in  their  places  ;  and  instead  of 
spending  your  money  in  trash,  save  it  that 
you  may  give  to  the  poor. 

11.  Some  of  those  children  whose  lives  you 
have  read  never  were  known  to  tell  one  lie  in 
their  lives.  I  hope  you  will,  from  this  time, 
be  like  them  in  this.  All  liars,  you  know, 
must  be  cast  into  a  lake  of  fire  when  they  die. 
Liars  cannot  be  children  of  God.  Don't  lie 
once  more,  if  you  ever  have  lied.  And  if, 
through  the  goodness  of  God,  you  have  never 
told  one  lie,  then  pray  to  God  that  you  may 
never  tell  one  to  the  end  of  your  lives. 

Will  you,  dear  children,  watch,  and  strive, 
and  pray  that  you  may  thus  follow  those  pious 
children  of  whom  you  have  read  ?  I  want 
you  to  be  blessed.  I  want  you  to  be  the  chil- 
dren of  God.  Do  not  forget  what  I  have  said 
to  you  ;  but  read  it  over  again.  If  you  can 
give  your  hearts  to  God,  and  do  his  will ;  if 
you  can  be  sorry  for  sin,  and  trust  m  Christ ; 
you  will  be  so  dear  to  your  parents ;  your 
brothers  and  sisters  will  love  you  very  much ; 
all  good  people  will  love  you ;  you  will  be 
loved  by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  and  he  will 
take  you  at  last  to  be  with  your  Heavenly 


LITTLE   CHILDREN   OUGHT    TO    DO.  105 

Father  for  ever  and  ever.  There  I  hope  I 
shall  meet  many  of  you,  when  God  has  made 
us  all,  by  his  grace,  holy  and  good.  And 
may  God,  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Spirit,  dwell  within  you  all,  and  bless  you, 
and  keep  you  to  the  end. 


